Strange Paradise
by gooseles
Summary: A cross country move turns Johnny Harper's life upside down. Running from the past while chasing a lifelong dream, he's introduced to a new life with a brand new cast of players. What happens when two worlds collide in the strange paradise that is the OC?
1. From One OC To Another

Johnny Harper slowly opened his large brown eyes, the long lashes blinking away the sleep. He sat up in the seat and yawned, wincing as he tried in vain to massage the crook out of his neck. Taking a quick glance out the window, he watched as the world, the countryside literally passed him by. It had been four days since he had been on the road, four whole days since he had packed up and left his whole life behind. His mother, Gwen, had excitedly spoke of their new adventure, their brand new start in California. For Johnny there was uncertainty. A lot awaited him in his new home but he couldn't help but feel bad for what he had left behind.

He was the shy, quiet type who sat in the back of the class or stood along the sidelines just watching everyone else. But when people got to know him, Johnny was the life of the party. Loyal and sensitive, funny and sweet were just some of the adjectives used to describe him. He was an all around good guy, well liked and most of it had to do with his upbringing and the woman who had raised him nearly by herself. Gwendolyn Banks was an East Coast girl, born and bred right outside of Baltimore, Maryland. The product of a broken home, which included an abusive father and alcoholic mother, at age 16, the pretty teenager had fallen hard for rough, gruff, five years older, Jack Harper. A year into their dating, she had discovered she was pregnant. Eager to escape her home life, she had quickly accepted Jack's half hearted, ringless proposal and the two married just months before Johnny Lee Harper came into the world. The relationship lasted a rocky eight years after, the marriage rocked by the heavy drinking and domestic abuse Gwen had fought so hard to escape.

From an early age, Johnny had been his mother's protector. Just 17 years older than him, the two had grown up together with an "us against the world" attitude. Stuck in a dead end lifestyle, miserable and battered, Gwen filed for divorce, settling for welfare handouts while she studied for her GED and something better for her and her son. Through a lot of nights surviving on Ramen noodles and cheese sandwiches, the young mother had finally made it. She studied for her nursing assistant's license and became certified, determined to move her boy away from the dangers of the inner city projects to the safer, quieter tourist community of Ocean City.

The beach became Johnny's home away from home. He loved to swim in the water, traveling down by the pier every day when weather permitted. The older boys surfed and he watched in awe for hours at a time. Taking pity on him, some of the guys had befriended him, loaning him a used board and teaching him the tricks of the waves. In no time Johnny had mastered the technique, his angled, lean frame and long hair ever looking the part of the cool surfer dude. It was more than a hobby and for Gwen, who worked long hours, it was a relief. It kept her son off the streets away from dealing and using drugs. Proud and supportive, she hadn't known just how good he was, that is until he won his first competition.

Surfing was his life, the water his best friend. And Johnny Harper was good. In fact, he was damned good. He began competing regularly in any competition that he could, even traveling to Florida a few times. But the real money was in Hawaii and in order to get there, California and the many opportunities for sponsorships were a major stepping stone. As her child showed more promise, Gwen made the ultimate sacrifice, saving what funds she could in order to move them out west. Johnny had harbored mixed emotions about the move. He knew it was for him but he felt bad. He adored the hard working mother who had sacrificed her whole life for him. But it wasn't fair to her. Besides, he didn't want to leave his friends in Maryland behind. Hardly anybody transferred schools in the middle of junior year. He had a life there and a pretty girlfriend named Casey. He'd always thought about moving out west but it would be when he was an adult and on his own terms. But his mother had insisted and all of sudden they were driving on I-40 headed for a whole other world.

"Where are we now?" he yawned, stretching his long, tanned arms.

"Welcome back, sleepy head," Gwen smiled as she ruffled her son's already messy brown mop of hair. "We just hit the state line. What do you think so far? New Mexico looks pretty cool, huh?"

It was all starting to look the same. Through Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas, he had seen the scenery change. Now it was all starting to look the same, with nothing but desert for miles.

"You need me to drive?" he asked.

Gwen shook her head.

"I'm good. I'm gonna give it a couple more hours and I think we'll call it a night."

Johnny nodded. The last thing he was looking forward to was another cheap motel right off the interstate but he supposed it was the nature of the beast.

"Mom?"

"Yeah babe?"

"You know we didn't have to do this. I've said it before but I just wanted you to know. I feel like you did all this for me. You gave up everything. You're always giving up everything. I appreciate it but you didn't have to do it."

Gwen smiled. Her son was her best friend and the best child a mother could ever hope for.

"I did this for us, baby. You're a great surfer, who knows, there might be a real future there. This is your opportunity. As for me, I needed a change. We needed a change. I've already got a great job at a nursing home in Irvine and the benefits there are amazing, much better than anything I ever had in Maryland. After six months, they're willing to put me through RN school. You can't beat that with a stick, John. The money will be better the hours will be better and we'll have a better life altogether."

She seemed so excited.

"Are you sure this isn't about…"

Gwen sighed and bit her lip. Johnny didn't have to say another word. She already knew what he was getting at.

"Your father?" she completed his question.

Johnny frowned. He hadn't seen Jack Harper in almost seven years and the memories were anything but happy. After the divorce Jack had enrolled in truck driving school and had eventually ended up out west. In the last year, a so called changed man, he had contacted his former wife and child. A reluctant correspondence had started between he and Gwen. He now resided in Riverside, California and had seemed happy when he learned of his estranged family's impending move. Gwen had kept her distance, limiting contact to only the occasional letter and phone call. She had agreed to see him once they were settled in Newport Beach but Johnny would have no part of it. To believe a change had happened, he would have to see it with his own eyes and at that point he was in no mood to deal with his father. The last thing he wanted was to see him and he hoped their sudden move hadn't had anything to do with a possible reconciliation between his parents.

"Well, yeah."

"Sweetheart…"

"Have you forgot what life used to be like? All the horrible things he did to us?"

She swallowed hard.

"Of course I haven't forgotten but that was a long time ago."

"I'm not trying to tell you what to do, Mom. If you forgive him, if you want to talk to him or be his friend, I can't change that. I just want you to be careful. I don't want you getting your hopes up again. Dad did a lot of bad things and I can't forget that. It's gonna take a lot more than words before I let him back in my life."

"I respect that. You have a good head on your shoulders and a good heart, John. I'd like to think I had a little something to do with that. I understand how you feel and take all the time you need. I'm not naïve going into this. Things are complicated with your father and me and always have been. But I promise you he is not the reason we moved here. This is for you, for us. Whatever else happens, we'll just cross those bridges when we get to them. Right now I am excited about work and school and I want you to look forward to those same things."

"I guess."

"It's gonna be fine. It'll be great, baby, you'll see."

"What about all my friends?"

"You'll see them again. And the cool thing is, you'll make lots of new friends."

"What about Casey?"

Gwen took a deep breath. She knew a thing or two about teenage love. Johnny had been dating Casey Michaels on and off since they were 12 years old.

"Casey is a great girl. Hon, I can't predict the future and I won't lie to you. I have no idea what's gonna happen. All I can say is stay in touch and we'll see. At the very least, you two will always be friends."

"Yeah…friends," Johnny repeated quietly.

"Hey, no moping and brooding. We have a lot of cool stuff to look forward to. Think of all the neat things we can do to our new house."

Gwen had found a small fixer upper in a decent section of Orange County, part of the new low income housing project being developed by a company called The Newport Group.

"Yeah. Um, it's pretty cool," he tried to stay positive for his mother's sake.

Maybe it wouldn't be all bad.

"I know this is different and it's weird and it's hard and it's a big change. I'm right on the same page with you, Johnny. But we have each other and we can do anything. I can't explain it but I have a really good feeling about all this. I just know we're gonna do good here."

"Whatever you say, Mom."

"Give it a chance. Please? Can you just promise me you'll do that one thing for me?"

Johnny stared absently out the window as the cactuses passed him by. With each mile he was that much further away from home and the only life he had ever known.

"Yeah, Mom," he answered quietly. "I guess I can do that."


	2. Picking Up The Pieces

16 year old Kaitlin Cooper sauntered into the entrance of the trailer park. She had been living there almost a year and it still gave her chills. But unfortunately, it was home. If home is where the heart is, Kaitlin had no idea where her heart was. The previous few years had been one big roller coaster, her family struggling to hang on with each twist and curve. She was a California girl at heart, born and bred into the O.C.'s elite society. Her father, Jimmy Cooper, had been a well liked, well respected, successful financial planner in the local area, while her mother, Julie, was the sexy and sassy queen bee of the Newpsies. Her big sister was the popular and beautiful Marissa Cooper and Kaitlin had been the spoiled princess. And one year in the blink of an eye, it had all changed.

Her parents had shipped her off to the fanciest and most expensive boarding school. When she left everything had been fine, when she returned, not so much so. Her beloved father was a liar and an embezzler, a convicted felon. And her mother suddenly found herself back to her old Riverside roots, single and poor, now with two daughters to raise. They had lost their beautiful home as well as the posh life as they knew it. With Jimmy in jail, Julie Cooper had been forced to live in the only place she could afford, a seedy trailer park on the outskirts of town.

Their new life had been a bit of an adjustment. Marissa had seemed to settle in and Julie, always a woman with a plan, was hell bent on making a better life for her family. But the youngest Cooper had dealt with a range of emotions. From shame to pain to anger to final dull acceptance, she had felt it all. Julie had vowed they would get it all back and Kaitlin had no doubt that one day they would. For the time being she was content to simply be, biding her time until something else better came along.

Recently, there had been new developments. Julie had gone into an interior decorating business with her best friend and partner, Kirsten Cohen. The climb to success had been a slow and steady one and proud to the end, Julie had refused handouts from anyone. She had pinched pennies and saved but Marissa's acceptance into Berkeley sans scholarship had once again changed the family's priorities. Education came first and a new home along with private high school education at Harbor had taken a back seat. On top of that, Kirsten's legal eagle husband, Sandy had found a technicality in Jimmy's first federal trial. It had been good enough for the handsome attorney to pull some strings and get the sentence reduced. After a few years of serving time, Jimmy Cooper was a free man, starting all over again and desperate to pick up the pieces.

Kaitlin had learned to adjust. With her big sister away at college with her boyfriend and Cohen adopted son, Ryan Atwood, it was just Kaitlin and Julie left. Mother and daughter, two of a kind, had become best friends. And life wasn't so bad. Sure they only had one bathroom and all the faucets leaked and their landlord Gus was a total perv but it wasn't that horrible. She could deal. They dealt together, only one thing coming between them.

The issue of men had always been a touchy subject when it came to Cooper women. Some said a knocked up 18 year old wrong side of the tracks Julie had married Jimmy simply for his money. That theory had further been supported when she virtually turned her back on him during his legal woes. But truth be told, Jimmy was the love of her life. And when he had been released from prison, slowly they had begun working their way back into each other's lives, much to Kaitlin's dismay. She loved her father but she didn't like him very much…or trust him. He had put them through hell. Irresponsible and unreliable and as far as she was concerned, better no influence than a bad one. Julie of course had disagreed and her still legally wed but estranged parents on again off again relationship had been the biggest source of distress.

Not that Kaitlin didn't have her own male issues as well. Attending public school at Newport Union had been the biggest adjustment but Kaitlin, tougher than she looked, had been able to fit right in. The biggest pastime consisted of partying at the beach. Surfing wasn't just a hobby, it was a lifestyle, one the pretty teen instantly became a part of. Besides, Kaitlin was tired of the clean cut, Abercrombie types. Bad boys were always her thing and she had happened to land the baddest one of them all.

His name was Kevin Volchok, the kid with All American good looks and a Russian last name. He was known simply as Volchok. He ran with a tough gang, he did drugs, he drank, he was involved in petty crime and he attended school only when he felt like it. He was also one of the best surfers in the region. He had set his sights on the pretty rich transfer student but Kaitlin Cooper had managed to turn the tables. The pair had begun dating and had remained a couple well over a year, much to Julie's dismay. Kaitlin liked to party and she liked Volchok. She also knew how much the relationship got under her mother's skin. For the most part they didn't talk about it but whenever the issue of Jimmy and Julie came up, the 16 year old always had an arsenal of ready ammunition.

Walking down the lane to their trailer, Marlboro in her mouth, Kaitlin rolled her eyes as she heard Van Halen blasting from the open window. That only meant one thing. She folded her arms and longed for the days when Marissa was still home. Like any sisters, they had their fights but they also had their good moments as well. Sometimes Kaitlin longed for their late night talks, for her comfort. She looked down at her cell phone. Big sis was only a phone call away but Kaitlin quickly decided against it. No doubt Marissa was off having fun, living her life, doing the college thing with Ryan. The last thing she wanted to do was interrupt. With a sigh, she snuffed out her cigarette and let herself in.

"Kaitlin, baby," Julie looked up and smiled from the kitchen.

"Hey, Mom."

"You're just in time for dinner. I ordered pizza. It should be here soon."

"Cool. Whatever," Kaitlin replied flatly, pulling a Diet Mt. Dew from the refrigerator.

"So, how was your day? How was school?"

"Fine and fine."

"Somebody's in a real talkative mood."

Kaitlin sighed.

"I got a B+ on my English report."

"Good deal," Julie grinned. "It could have been an A but oh well. Better luck next time. We take what we can get, right?"

"And I went shopping with Tiffany after school."

Tiffany was one of the last of Kaitlin's chums from Harbor.

"That's nice. What'd you get?"

Kaitlin pulled out her bag.

"This skirt and these shoes and these shirts. I tried them on and they were perfect."

Julie made a face as she shifted uncomfortably. Even in a trailer park, she was a fashionista but she had learned to do it on a budget. That was one value she'd had trouble instilling in her girls.

"I'm sure you look great but, honey…how, how much did you spend today?"

Kaitlin shrugged.

"I don't know. A couple hundred maybe."

"Kaitlin Dawn Cooper!" Julie bellowed.

"Ouch, Mom. Breaking out the full name."

"This is not a joke. You know we cannot afford that. Sweetie…"

"Yeah, Mom, I know. We can't afford anything. Because Marissa is at college and we're saving for the condo you've been trying to buy for like two years."

"That isn't fair."

"Yeah like us living in a trailer park is."

She knew she had said too much when she looked up and saw the fresh tears in her mother's proud eyes.

"You're right…"

"I'm sorry, Mom. I guess I shouldn't have said that. You're right. I'll take the clothes back tomorrow."

Julie hugged her daughter.

"Keep the shoes," she tussled her hair, forcing a small smile. "They are to die for."

"In fact, keep it all," came a voice emerging from the back.

Kaitlin rolled her eyes.

"Dad, you're here…again."

"Hey kiddo," he gave her a hug she did not reciprocate. "How are my girls?"

Julie leaned over and gave him a kiss.

"Pizza's on the way."

"What are you doing here?" Kaitlin demanded.

"Just thought I'd drop by. I was hoping we'd have dinner as a family."

"Some family we are," Kaitlin mumbled.

"Be nice, baby," Julie warned.

"Remember that job I told you about on the boat?" he asked.

"Why? Did you get fired?"

Jimmy laughed.

"No, it's going great, so great in fact that if things keep up, I'll be able to help you and your mom get out of this place sooner than we all thought."

"Isn't that great?" Julie beamed.

Sure it was great on paper but when it came to Jimmy Cooper, seeing was believing.

"Don't hold your breath, Mom."

"Oh Kaitlin…"

"It's okay, Jules. I don't have the greatest track record. Anyway, I got my check today and Kaitlin, I want you to keep everything you bought today. It's on me."

Kaitlin just shook her head.

"Never mind."

"Kaitlin…"

"Is he spending the night?" she asked her mother.

"Well, we are married."

"Whatever. I'll be in my room," she stalked off.

"But what about dinner?"

"I'm not very hungry," she already slammed the door and locked it.

Plopping down on her bed, Kaitlin began to sulk. She stared up at the ceiling aimlessly until she heard a familiar bang at her window. Without a word, she stood up and opened it.

"What's up?" he smirked, already kicking off his shoes and dropping his leather jacket.

"Where you been?"

"Out," he shrugged.

"Whatever."

"I got something for you."

"What?" Kaitlin folded her arms.

He handed her the joint he had already rolled perfectly.

"That'll put you in a better mood. Want to hit it?"

"Maybe later."

"You're in a mood. What's the matter?"

"I live in a trailer park, we're broke and my parents are way lame. What else is there?"

Volchok just grinned at her.

"You got me."

She did have him, as much as anyone could.

"Come here," she invited him onto her bed.

Without further prodding, he climbed aboard, his hands instantly all over her as his tongue probed her young mouth.

"You lock the door?" he breathed.

"Always."

He removed his shirt, exposing tanned and toned abs and tattoos before taking Kaitlin's off as well, leaving her in just a bra. They kissed some more with him inching further and further. For a moment, Kaitlin hesitated.

"What now?" a hot and bothered Volchok asked, annoyed.

"Nothing," she finally conceded. "It's cool. Come here."

Sometimes she wanted more. Sometimes an actual conversation before sex would have been nice. But Volchok wasn't that kind of guy and dating him, she couldn't be that kind of girl. Sensitive Prince Charmings only existed in fairytales or at least swanky private schools. Kaitlin was now in another world and anytime she dared forget, all she had to do was open her eyes and take a look around for a cruel reminder.


	3. Man Of The House

The sun beat down hard on Johnny's already tanned shoulders. Shirtless, down the street from his new California home, he had taken his skateboard out and decided to explore the new neighborhood. He had to chuckle to himself. It wasn't supposed to be the nicest side of Newport but with its clean sidewalks and palm trees, it wasn't exactly what one would call the hood. It was a pretty nice place and the house, although a definite fixer upper, wasn't so bad either. It was a fresh start, besides, his mom seemed happy. Johnny couldn't and wouldn't argue with that. Gwen Harper needed a little happiness in her life.

Gliding down the street, he headed towards home, freestyling some tricks all the way. Surfing and skate board riding did have its similarities. In unpacking and getting settled, he'd yet to get to the beach and try out the much talked about Pacific waves. For the time being boarding on land would have to do but hitting the water was a definite priority. Seeing that he was closer to home than he thought, he saw a closed door that appeared to lead to a side alleyway. Gaining some speed, he went for one of his popular aerial moves, soaring freely as his hand held to the board. It felt like flying and Johnny didn't even see the door open. There was a crash and a loud noise. The long haired teenager landed hard on his butt, staring across the walk at the person he had collided into.

"Oh dude, I think you just killed me," the stranger groaned.

Johnny hopped to his feet.

"You alright, man?" he lent a hand to the tall lanky young man with the unruly mass of blonde hair, the one who just so happened to be sprawled dramatically across the concrete.

"I can't feel my legs. It's hard to breathe. I'm seeing little white dots."

Johnny's eyes grew wide.

"Really?"

"Hell no, I was just joking," the kid hopped straight up, grinning without a scratch.

Johnny felt his heart racing.

"That wasn't funny, man. You really had me going. I thought I hurt you."

"Nah. I'm cool. It's like I'm made of steel, iron."

"Sorry about that. I didn't see the door open. I didn't even know anyone would be behind there. I'm kind of new to this place. We just moved."

"Yeah, at that little blue and white house down a couple of blocks?"

"Yeah."

The boy grinned.

"Hells yeah. I saw you when you got here a few days ago. You moved in with a really hot looking chick. Her bod is awesome!"

Johnny's eyes narrowed.

"Dude, that's my mom."

"It's cool," he put up his hands defensively. "Don't take offense, bro. This is the O.C. All the moms are hot."

"Well, I'm a long way from home."

"Where's home?"

"Ocean City, Maryland."

"That is far. What made you come out here?"

"My mom got a new job. She said we needed a change. Anyway, I surf. I was hoping to get picked up by some sponsors out here."

"You any good?"

Johnny shrugged.

"Yeah. I think so and that's what people say. What about you? Do you surf?"

"Yeah. Who doesn't? It's Newport Beach. It's the scene."

"You any good?"

"I try but my life sucks and unfortunately so do my skills. I mean, I can hold my own. And the ladies certainly seem to dig it, but I don't think I'll be getting sponsored anytime soon."

Johnny couldn't help but laugh as he extended his hand. At least the kid was honest.

"Johnny Harper."

"Dennis Childress. But you can call me Chili. Everybody does."

"Who's everybody?"

Chili thought for a moment.

"Right now just me but it's a new fad. You know how that goes. Give it a while to catch on. It's sort of like hot pants and platform shoes."

"Yeah," Johnny looked around. "So, uh, you hit the waves lately."

"Not in a few days but I was thinking about going to the beach probably tomorrow. You should come. It'd be sweet."

"Yeah. Yeah, I guess."

"I live just across the street from you, two houses over."

"Cool."

Chili nodded.

"You know, Johnny Harper from Ocean City, Maryland, this could be the beginning of a very beautiful friendship. You're lucky we met. Stick with me. I'll introduce you to all the hotties, show you the ropes and stuff."

"Thanks, man. Sounds…interesting. But anyway. I gotta get home. You know where it is. I'll be around. Drop by tomorrow, we can surf and stuff."

"It's a date."

"It's a what?" Johnny exclaimed.

"Relax. Just a figure of speech, an expression, if you will. You know, date, in a totally platonic, non gay, male bonding sort of way."

Johnny just shook his head. He had to make friends sometime.

"I'll see you around, Chili."

Board in hand, he headed home, walking in through the front door. His mother was at the sink.

"Hey handsome," she gave him a kiss on the cheek and ruffled his hair. "Where have you been?"

"Out. Just seeing how stuff was, checking out the neighborhood."

"And? How was it?"

He shrugged.

"Okay, I guess."

"See? We are gonna do so good here, baby, just watch. And wait until you hit the beach."

"I think I'm gonna go tomorrow, if that's cool. I met this guy…"

"The blonde haired boy I saw you talking to outside a few minutes ago?"

"Yeah. His name is Chili, or at least that's what he likes to call himself. He's a little weird but nice, I guess. Anyway, he surfs too. So we said we're gonna hang out, try to catch some waves."

Gwen smiled.

"He sounds nice. You're making friends already. That's so awesome, John."

"What's awesome?" bellowed a voice from the hallway.

Johnny stopped dead in his tracks, shocked like a deer caught in headlights. He hadn't heard that voice in a while and it had been even longer since he had seen the face to match. But some things you just didn't forget.

"Jack…" he mouthed.

The older man smirked.

"I guess hoping for 'Dad' was too much, huh?"

Gwen cleared her throat.

"Sweetie, your dad just dropped by to see how things are going."

Johnny sized up the larger man. He was still a big guy but one thing had changed. Johnny was no longer afraid.

"Things are going."

"Glad to hear it," Jack nodded. "Your mom was just telling me about the pipes in the bathroom. I took a look and…"

"I'll fix it later. Mom and I can handle it," he spoke in a firm voice.

Jack and Gwen exchanged glances.

"Yeah, um, I'm sure you can."

Tense, awkward silence followed.

"Well, Jack, um, thanks, thanks for stopping by," Gwen finally said, breaking the tension.

"Yeah. No problem. I was just in the neighborhood anyway. I need to get back to work. You've got my numbers and stuff. Call if you need anything. Anytime."

"We're good," Johnny answered.

"You're looking good these days, Gwen. So is the boy. Looks like you did alright," Jack left without another word.

Mother and son were silent for a while as a bewildered and disgusted Johnny just stared at his mother.

"I'm sorry," Gwen said when he was gone. "I had no idea he was just gonna show up like that."

"How did he know where we live? You did give him the address, right?"

"Yes but…"

"Mom, you said this was our fresh start, right?"

"Honey, it is."

"So why are you looking in the past? Just let it go. Let him go."

"Johnny…"

"And I don't want him hanging around here. This is my house, too. All he did was make us miserable before. You remember how much it sucked. Since he's been gone, you and me have taken care of each other. We did everything for ourselves. We don't need him for anything and I don't want him."

Brushing past his mother and her protests and attempts at explanations, Johnny retreated to his bedroom and closed the door. The move itself had been one giant mixed reaction and just when things were starting not to be so bad, a blast from the past had showed up. But Johnny wasn't having it. Maybe he had been too harsh but that was okay. He was standing his ground. He wasn't a little kid anymore and it was up to him to protect himself and his mother. There was no way Jack Harper, after everything that had happened, was just gonna waltz back into their lives. He wouldn't let it happen.


	4. Dawn Patrol

Kaitlin Cooper tossed her head back, deep auburn locks flowing against her blue towel. The sun was just beginning to lose its power but she had made the most of it, lying out since early afternoon. It was another day at the beach with her girlfriends. They had come to gossip about the boys and work on their tans. Once the sun completely set, the real party would begin. The guys would show up along with music and kegs and food and the fun and been known to last for hours. But for Kaitlin it was the same old scene. She bored easily and was always on the lookout for the next something new and exciting.

"Guess who's on his way?" her friend, Jo, teased.

"The Easter Bunny?" Kaitlin played along with a hint of sarcasm.

"No, wise ass," Jo rolled her eyes. "The guys will be here soon. I just talked to Gabe."

Josephine Jones, known to everybody as Jo, was Kaitlin's best friend at Newport Union. The girls had grown close over time and Jo was the girlfriend of Gabe Pratt, a gorgeous dark haired surfer who ran in Kevin Volchok's circle.

"Okay."

"Okay? Is that all you have to say?"

"What do you want, a back flip?"

"No but a little enthusiasm would be nice. Volchok is fine as hell and in his own way, he's a good guy. Most girls would kill to go out with him and he's all yours."

Kaitlin shot Jo a knowing glare.

"Volchok a good guy? Yeah right. In your dreams. He's a bad boy and that's why I like him. I mean, it's cool he and the guys are rolling through and stuff but don't you ever get bored?"

"What do you mean?"

Kaitlin shrugged.

"Dawn Patrol. Yeah, it's cool and we party hard but sometimes I get bored. After a while all the drinking and weed smoking and surfing and messing around gets kind of old. We need something different."

"Like?"

Kaitlin leaned back on her elbows surveying the scene. It didn't take long to spot what had caught her eye a couple of times throughout the day.

"Over there, take a left. Who is that surfing?"

"It's fucking Dennis or Chili or whatever the hell that geek is calling himself these days."

Kaitlin leaned in for a closer look.

"What about the guy with him?"

He had long hair and he was cute and they had never seen him before. Fresh meat always stuck out like a sore thumb.

"Who knows? I heard he just moved here. I guess he'll be going to Union or whatever."

"He's cute."

"He is cute but so what?"

"I'm just saying," Kaitlin smiled innocently.

"You better be because you do have a boyfriend, thank you very much who is scheduled to show up here like any second now. Volchok is cool but I don't think he'd be too happy to hear his girl scoping out another dude. Hell, knowing him he'll be pissed about him surfing over here."

"It's a public beach."

"But this is _our _side of the beach. Dawn Patrol rules and everybody knows that."

Kaitlin couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Do not get all West Side Story on me, Jo. God, you act like we're about to snap our fingers and break into song any minute now while we protect our turf."

"Dork," Jo grinned, playfully tossing a beach towel at her. "You get what I mean."

"Call me nosey but I am way curious about the new guy and who cares what Kevin says. He does not own me."

She watched as the guys came in from the surf, laughing and dripping wet as the scurried off to the makeshift camp they had set up just a few yards from the other gang. Drying off, Johnny peeled away the top portion of his wet suit.

"Dude, those waves were something else," he grinned appreciatively, shaking his head.

Chili nodded.

"What did I tell you, baby? Welcome to the O.C."

Taking a sip of water, Johnny glanced over. He took notice again of the girl who had been staring at him off and on the whole day. They appeared to be around the same age. She had long deep auburn eye and piercing green eyes that seemed to bear a hole straight through him. She wore a bikini and she wore it well. The girl was truly beautiful. It looked like the waves weren't the only good thing about Newport Beach.

"That chick over there," Johnny motioned. "The one on the end in the white bikini."

"What about her?"

"She keeps looking over here."

Chili slyly peered over his shoulder before giving a nervous laugh.

"No way, man."

"What?"

"That's Dawn Patrol."

"What the hell is that?"

"Orange County's very own rebels, their cause domination of Newport Beach. Trust me, we're treading dangerous territory, my man. Seriously. We could get killed just for surfing too close to them."

"I don't get it."

"They're their own little school and beach clique made up of some of the state's best surfers. They drink beer, smoke weed, kick ass, date all the hot broads and surf. Their fearless leader is Kevin Volchok. Think of Dylan McKay meets James Dean with a little pretty preppy boy mixed in."

Johnny shook his head.

"Dude, you need professional help."

"I'm just being honest and I'm trying to be a friend. You're cool as hell and if it ever went down you know I'd have your back but trust me, you, we don't want to get into it with those guys. Flirting with, talking to, even thinking about Volchok's girl could mean World War III."

"Chill, man. It's not that serious. I mean, she's cute and all but she's the one looking over here."

"Believe me, dude. That one is trouble with a capital T."

Across the way, a devilish smirk spread across Kaitlin's pretty face.

"He took the bait."

"What?" Jo asked.

"He's looking."

"Who cares?"

Kaitlin stood and brushed the sand off her legs.

"I do. I'm gonna go say hi."

"Kaitlin Cooper!"

But it was too late. She was off and Johnny swallowed hard as he saw her walking towards him and Chili.

"Told you to quit it," Chili muttered. "Sincerely. You would have been better off attracting the Grudge kid from Tokyo."

Johnny stood quiet as she approached. She gave him a quick glance over, grinning the whole time.

"Hey Chili," she finally said.

Chili gulped.

"Wait a minute…you actually know my name?"

"Duh, silly," she rolled her eyes. "Everybody knows you but um, I don't know your friend. You new?"

Johnny nodded.

"Yeah. We just moved out here."

"How do you like it so far?"

He shrugged.

"It's cool, I guess."

"Then might I be the first to welcome you."

Chili raised his hand.

"Um, actually I was the first."

Kaitlin, annoyed, huffed.

"Okay the second now beat it Chili," she warned who made himself useful a few feet away. "Hi. I'm Kaitlin with a K."

She batted her eyes and gave him her best Julie Cooper inspired flirt.

"Hey. I'm Johnny…with a J."

"Nice to meet you, Johnny with a J. I saw you out in the water. You're pretty good."

"Thanks."

"What are you a pro or something?"

"Hopefully one day. I'm looking to get picked up by sponsors and stuff."

"That's a plan. I never learned to surf really."

"Why not? These are some of the best waves I've seen."

She gave an innocent shrug.

"I guess no one bothered to teach me. Maybe you could, you know, right now…if you're not too busy."

Johnny looked around, ignoring Chili who was being not so inconspicuous with his hand gestures.

"I don't know. I mean, I don't have a board."

"Doesn't look that way to me."

"If you're a beginner you're gonna need an egg, you know, a funboard. And a wetsuit too."

"Look, I'm not training for the Olympics. It's just a little surf lesson, right?"

He looked around still unsure. She was pretty and she wanted to learn how to paddle out. What could be the harm?

"I guess. Come on."

Together they walked into the water with all eyes on them.

"What the hell is Kaitlin doing?" Shelby, another friend whispered in disbelief.

Jo just shook her worried head.

"Asking for it," she replied solemnly.

And as if on cue a familiar buzz sounded throughout the beach. They could be heard from miles away, a noisy gang of Newport's sexiest young bad boys cruising onto the beach riding their beloved motorcycles. Leading the way, was the hottest, baddest one of them all. Making their way to the sight, they parked, greeted by their friends.

"What's up?" Gabe nodded, giving Jo a smack on the behind.

Welcomed like a rock star, Kevin Volchok went over to where his party had set up camp. After talking to a few people, he turned to Jo, pulling a bag out of his pocket.

"Roll that," he instructed. "It's good shit."

"No doubt."

He looked around.

"Where's Kaitlin?"

Jo glanced at Gabe nervously before casting her eyes toward the water. Volchok followed her stare. There they were in plain view. He watched as his girlfriend, his property, paddled in the water, some long haired pretty boy Volchok had never seen, giving her crawl like instructions. He watched furthermore as the wave rolled in and the guy helped her reach the standing position. She did good before falling off, giggling as he helped her.

"Volchok, long time no see, eh, bud?" Chili walked over to him.

"Out of my way, punk," Volchok spat, pushing him aside and nearly knocking him down with one hand.

"So much for the pleasantries," Chili coughed.

"What the fuck is that?" Volchok sneered.

Jo shrugged.

"Leave it alone. It's no big deal. They're just surfing."

"Who is that kid? He's not Dawn Patrol and why does he have his hands all over Kaitlin?"

"Volchok, just…"

But it was too late. With one nod, he summoned his army like a commanding general. They marched towards the water together just in time for Johnny and Kaitlin to head in. He took one look at his girl and one look at his competition.

"What's this shit?"

"Nothing," Kaitlin blew it off. "We were just messing around."

Volchok's anger began to build. Roughly he reached out for Kaitlin's arm.

"Get over here," he yelled before turning his attention to Johnny. "And who the hell are you?"

"Johnny Harper. Look, man, nothing was going on. Just chill. I mean, no need to get all riled up."

"You telling me what to do?"

"No, I…"

A nervous Chili ran to intervene.

"We were just leaving, weren't we, Johnny?"

Johnny took one look at the band of thugs and then at Kaitlin. He was a mellow guy. All he wanted was to surf and have a good time. It wasn't worth the trouble.

"Yeah."

"Look, I don't know where you're from and too bad your little bitch friend over here didn't tell you but this is Dawn Patrol and guess what? You ain't Dawn Patrol. So I don't want to see you over here again or with my girl."

With that, Volchok gave Kaitlin's wrist another yank that caused her to grimace.

"Dude, it's a public beach," Johnny pointed out. "We weren't doing anything wrong."

Volchok, not used to people talking back, smirked.

"What did you say? I'm gonna be nice and give your ass like ten seconds to get away from me. Come on, Kaitlin."

He pulled her again.

"I don't think she wants to go with you, man," Johnny spoke up. "And look at the way you're pulling on her. You're hurting her."

"You got a problem?"

"Do you?"

Volchok let go and Kaitlin's heart began to pound. This was not part of her plan. It was just innocent flirting. Now things had gone too far and she knew all too well what it meant when Volchok got that look in his eye.

"It's cool," she said. "I'm fine. Johnny, don't worry about it."

"You still here?" Volchok eyed him.

"Dude, I don't want any problems with you."

"Too late for that."

Volchok pulled back and hit him, letting a right fist land hard against his nose. It made an awful crunching then squishing sound as Kaitlin screamed. Johnny attempted to stand but was hit again.

"Just leave him alone! He didn't do anything!" Kaitlin pleaded.

She felt bad watching the innocent, nice guy who had tried to come to her defense.

"You done playing the hero, bitch?" Volchok stood over him.

In a surprise and what some would say stupid move, Johnny hit him square in the jaw with an uppercut. The blow had enough force to send Volchok's head reeling back but he quickly recovered, grinning sinisterly even as pain shot through his handsome face.

"I'm gonna fucking kill you."

He hit Johnny again and again, finishing him off with a solid kick to the stomach. With a thud and a groan, Johnny sank to the ground, writhing in a fetal position.

"No more! He's had enough!" Kaitlin screamed.

Volchok stood over him staring before waving off the cavalry and walking away. Kaitlin, tears in her eyes, ran up to him along with Jo.

"Holy shit, dude, are you dead?" a worried Chili joined them.

"Shut up, he's hurt bad," Kaitlin cried.

"I told you not to," Jo shook her head. "You know Volchok is crazy."

Kaitlin touched Johnny with trembling hands.

"Are, are you okay?"

"O…kay," he groaned, gasping as the sand filled his mouth.

"I, we'll help you…"

He rolled over.

"I'm fine…" he managed.

"Are…are you sure? I mean, I could…"

"He's cool," Chili vouched.

Kaitlin shook her head.

"I can't just leave him. I feel bad. This is all my fault."

"He's okay. I'll get him home."

"But…"

"You heard Chili," Jo whispered. "Come on. It's just better if we leave him alone. Besides, you need to talk to Volchok. If he comes back, it'll just be worse."

Kaitlin nodded, knowing her friend was right. Reluctantly she stood and walked away leaving him still on the sand.

"Come on, man," Chili gave him a hand up. "You alright?"

Grabbing his middle and moaning, Johnny stood.

"I think so. Damn. What was that guy's problem?"

Chili shrugged, giving him a pat on the back.

"He was just being Volchok and that was the Dawn Patrol's greetings and salutations. Consider yourself officially welcomed."

"He's an ass. And the way he grabbed Kaitlin like that…"

"Don't worry about that Jezebel. Worry about yourself. From now on, don't be the hero. Kaitlin is fine, she's one of them. Don't let her fool you or get your ass kicked again. They're all trouble. Believe me now?"

Johnny struggled to stand, his face bloody, body aching all over wondering what the hell had just happened.

"Yeah," he said as he spit out sand. "I believe you."


	5. Public Enemy Number One

"This is it, baby," Chili proudly proclaimed. "Final destination reached. This is the end of the line. Welcome to the one and only Newport Union. What do you think?"

Johnny looked around at his new high school. It was his first day. It looked okay enough, far better than any of the other schools he had attended.

"It's fine, man. Just one thing."

"What's that?"

"Dude, you've got to stop calling me 'baby'. I mean, it's just weird."

Chili frowned and then shrugged it off as he took a look at Johnny's class schedule.

"We've got English and Algebra II together. Sweet. We also have lunch the same period but since our homerooms are together, our lockers are pretty close. I think there's an empty one just down from me."

"Cool."

"And I'll show you around, introduce you to the peeps."

"Yeah."

Johnny looked around at the scores of kids that filled the schoolyard. There were faces as far as the eye could see. Newport Union was certainly bigger than his last high school. These were the people he would be spending the next year and a half with. And some faces were familiar.

"Uh oh, code red," Chili dramatically whispered. "We've got big trouble approaching at 12 o'clock. Take an immediate right and keep your eyes straight ahead."

Johnny just looked at Chili. The kid was certainly special. But he had never ducked or dodged anyone in his life and he wasn't about to start. Besides, he had done nothing wrong. He had no reason to be ashamed. A few feet away, Kaitlin and Jo were headed to their lockers. She had spotted him a mile away.

"That's him, Jo. That's that Johnny kid from the beach."

Jo just shook her head.

"He showed up after Volchok pulverized him. I'm impressed."

"His face looks bad. He has the shiner from hell. I can see it from all the way over here."

"Duh, that's because your crazy, jealous boyfriend kicked his ass."

Kaitlin nervously chewed her gum.

"Let's say hi. We should go say hi, huh?"

"No way. Totally bad idea."

But it was too late. The question had been rhetorical and Kaitlin was pulling Jo by the arm over in Johnny and Chili's direction. Seconds later they were face to face for the first time since the fight at the beach.

"Hey," she cleared her throat. "Johnny, right?"

Johnny nodded and gave a small smile.

"I guess I should be flattered. Kaitlin with a K remembered my name."

She shyly returned his smile.

"You were kind of hard to forget. You did give me my first surf lesson and all."

"And you did get him beat up by Volchok," Chili added before Johnny shot him a warning look.

Kaitlin swallowed hard.

"About that…"

"It's cool. Don't worry about it."

"I can't help it. I kind of feel bad. Your friend is right. It was my fault."

"No, it wasn't. Don't sweat it. It was stupid really. It shouldn't have even happened. I mean, I didn't have beef with that guy. I was trying to be cool but it wasn't right what he did. He didn't have a right to put his hands on you or any girl like that."

"He's not that bad. Kevin does get stupid sometimes but it's totally cool. I can handle it. I'm just sorry you had to get dragged in it. I mean, look at your eye."

"I'm fine."

"Does it hurt?"

"Not really. Trust me, it looks a whole lot worse than it feels."

That was the truth and he had a hard time convincing people of that fact, especially his mother. Gwen Harper had been delighted that her son was meeting new friends and hanging out at the beach. She had been horrified when he had returned home with a bloodied nose and a swollen, purple eye. It had taken him hours to calm her down. It was just a stupid fight with some random punk at the beach. No worries. Or at least that was what Johnny had hoped. He had a feeling big school or not, he would run into that Volchok character again. He also knew he would run into Kaitlin as well.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I'm sorry he was such a jerk to you. I'm a guy. Me and him are around the same size. If he wants to pick a fight with me, it's cool. Better me than a girl, right?"

With his long hair and the bruised eye he had received trying to defend her honor, Kaitlin couldn't help but smile.

"Right. It's just that he is my boyfriend and stuff. I don't know if that mattered…"

"I kind of figured that part out. "

"Yeah, well, um…I was just wanted to come over and apologize and also say thanks. Maybe I'll see you in some of my classes."

"Maybe."

They stood for a few more seconds before Kaitlin and Jo turned to leave. But it was too late. Volchok and his crew were already en route.

"Oh no," Chili groaned. "Do something, ladies before I have to change my shorts. Sincerely. They're your boyfriends. Can't you call off the attack? I am a lover, not a fighter."

Soon they were surrounded by Volchok and two of his best friends, Gabe and Brent Martin. The cocky smirk was etched all over Volchok's face as he put one arm around Kaitlin, looking Johnny up and down. He snuffed out his cigarette, blowing an offensive wad of smoke in Chili and Johnny's direction.

"Didn't I just kick your ass a few days ago?" he laughed.

"Kevin, stop being a dick," Kaitlin warned.

"It's alright," Johnny spoke up. "Look, man, what happened the other day is water under the bridge as far as I'm concerned. I just moved here and I don't want any problems. Let's just squash it."

"Squash it, huh? That's something else coming from the new kid on the block who had the nerve to crash a Dawn Patrol party, then had the nerve to hit on my girl, then had the nerve to butt in our business and try to play the hero."

"Like I said," Johnny repeated. "I don't have beef with you."

"Maybe I've got beef with you."

"Dude, that's stupid. You don't even know me."

"You surf. I've seen you out there trying to show off."

Johnny shrugged.

"It's what I do."

"You compete?"

He nodded.

"Here and there. When I graduate I want to tour with Pac West. I'm trying to get some sponsors and stuff."

"Pac West?" Volchok questioned. "Pretty big dreams, don't you think? You know they only choose one surfer for this area. One person gets the sponsorship."

"So?"

"So that's my spot, man."

"Kevin, let's just go…" Kaitlin pleaded.

"I respect that," Johnny answered. "It's an open competition. May the best man win."

Volchok looked around at his friends and they all laughed.

"Is this punk for real?" he asked around. "Look, man, let's get something straight. I don't want to see your ass anymore on Dawn Patrol's side of the beach and I definitely better not catch you hanging around my girlfriend anymore."

His eyes turned a dark shade of blue, an eerie compliment to his trademark sinister sneer. Volchok meant business. He and his crew had a reputation for being dangerous. They weren't a bunch to be messed with.

"Come on, Johnny, let's get out of here," Chili gulped. "We're gonna be late for homeroom."

"Yeah bitch. You best get out of here. Listen to that other little punk bitch friend of yours if you know what's good for you."

Chili and Johnny walked off with Johnny looking back one last time at a sad Kaitlin.

"It's not even ten minutes of the first day of school and you manage to make Kevin Volchok an official enemy. Smooth, dude, real smooth," Chili shook his head. "I mean, we've all been beat up by him one time or another. He has even shoved me in a trash can a time or two but those were isolated incidents. Now he's gunning for you."

"The guy is a douche bag. I didn't do anything to him."

"That's not what he thinks. He sees you as a threat. It looks like you're after his sponsorship and after his woman."

"The sponsorship is up for grabs. Like I said, let the best surfer win."

"And Kaitlin Cooper?"

"I'm not looking for a girlfriend or any girl drama for that matter but hey, she looks pretty unhappy to me."

Chili just sighed as he followed along.

"You have a lot to learn, Young Jedi."

He had a feeling it was going to be one interesting second semester.


	6. Little Girl Lost

Kaitlin sighed as a chill rushed over her body. She pulled the thin sheet up to her neck, still feeling cold without a blanket. The trailer didn't have much but at least she had her elaborate and comfortable bed set there. Not so much at Kevin's place. He seemed to be comfortable with just a mattress and a sheet, something Kaitlin too had gotten used to in time. Looking over her shoulder she saw him. The sheet barely covered his beautiful and tanned naked body. Every perfect muscle in his back and arm were exposed. When they first got together, his room had been her sanctuary. Dingy and dimly lit it was a safe haven.

And Kevin Volchok had been her prince. Besides his bad boy image and being the guy every girl lusted after, at times there was a sweet, intelligent, even sensitive young man beneath it all. In his arms, high off the Mexican Green, there had been moments in the darkness where he had confessed all to his young girlfriend. They had talked about everything from his troubled childhood to his fears and insecurities about his surfing future. Those were the times she didn't have to be the tough, fearless, Lolita like troublemaker. Those were the few times she could be herself. Those were the times Kaitlin cherished.

It was hard being a teenager. It was hard having your whole life turned upside down. She could barely remember the days of private school and a hairless yet nevertheless beloved pony named, China. She had been a happy and innocent little girl then. Her older sister had been the bad one, the so called wild child. In time, the younger Kaitlin had managed to surpass her big sis' infamous reputation although the girls had grown closer. There were the times when it all got to be too much, when she wanted nothing more to lie in bed side by side with Marissa, watching MTV and eating ice cream. The talks, the advice was priceless but those moments were few and far between with the older girl at Berkeley.

Then there had been her mom. Kaitlin was definitely a chip off the old block but the return of her father had turned the apple cart upside down. Kaitlin, among the prettiest and most popular of her clique, had never felt so alone. Rebellion had become her only salvation and with that came Kevin Volchok. The mere mention of his name was enough to send Julie Cooper into a tailspin and that in itself was enough to bring a smile to Kaitlin's face.

She liked him. She liked the freedom of riding on the back of his motorcycle. She liked crashing at his place all night with its utter lack of parental supervision. She liked walking in a room with him and feeling the mix of respect and envy as all eyes were upon them. She liked his rebel without a cause attitude. For Kaitlin, it was an escape. For Kevin, it was a way of life. Sometimes she longed to turn off the very things that had initially turned her on. Why couldn't he show her more of his other side? It was fun, most of the time, but there were the few instances when she yearned for something more.

The days when she was apart of a real family and everyone was happy and normal, were glorious. She appreciated the love and the stability. Her parents promised her those days would soon be there again but for Kaitlin, it was hard to trust. More than anything, she wanted someone to listen to her. She just wanted someone to understand.

Carefully sitting up, she tried to ignore the churning in her belly. Their gang drank out of flasks like most people sipped out of water bottles. For one so young and petite, her tolerance was one to be reckoned with but even hours of pounding straight Vodka on an empty stomach could take its toll on Kaitlin. Sunlight did its best to peek in through the makeshift curtains as the girl blindly reached out for the jeans she had worn the night before. Her phone was in the left pocket, blinking as it alerted her she had new voicemails. Dialing in her password, she yawned as she put the phone to her ear.

"Kaitlin Cooper, this is your mother! Do you have any idea what time it is, young lady? You are in trouble, big trouble…huge…"

Kaitlin deleted the message mid sentence. It was a broken record, anyway and she'd heard it all before.

"Kaitlin, honey, this is Daddy. I know you're upset but when you get this, would you please come home? Or at least call. Your mother and I are worried sick about you, kiddo. I think we all need to sit down and talk. This running away with your boyfriend every time you get mad just doesn't work anymore. Come home so we can talk. Let's work it out."

She rolled her eyes, erasing it as well. Jimmy Cooper had some nerve trying to be all father of the year. Home, that stupid, stinking trailer park was the last place on earth she wanted to be. She stared at the phone, wincing at her massive pounding headache as she dialed a familiar number.

"Hey, you've reached Marissa. I can't come to the phone, you know what to do. Leave me a message and I'll get back to you…"

It was on the tip of Kaitlin's tongue to leave a message but at the last minute, she opted not to. Marissa was probably in class anyway. Instead, she reached for her clothing, quietly getting dressed. A few feet away, Kevin turned and stirred in bed. He rolled over but underneath his hand was an empty space where a warm body should have been. Rubbing his eyes, he came to a sitting position.

"What the hell are you doing?" he groggily asked.

Kaitlin shrugged.

"I figured I'd show up for third period. I'm hungry anyway and they're having pizza in the cafeteria. You coming?"

"Hadn't planned on it," he reached for a cigarette and lit it.

"Suit yourself."

"What are you doing after school?"

"I don't know. I might hang with Jo for a little while and after that, who knows? I've got to go home sometime."

"No you don't."

Kaitlin grinned.

"Yes, I do. I need clothes."

He gave her a smirk as he blew out the smoke.

"Your mom is gonna give you shit."

She rolled her eyes.

"What else is new? My mom always gives me shit, especially when she knows I'm with you."

"Your mom hates me. Guess I'll never be as good as the great Ryan Atwood."

Marissa's boyfriend and Volchok had exchanged words in a few run ins throughout the summer when a defiant Kaitlin had refused to come home and Ryan had come to the rescue on behalf of the Cooper women.

"You know, it's pretty funny to hear you say that."

"Why?"

"Because Mom used to hate Ryan. But it's all different now. Now she loves him to death, it's creepy."

"Maybe one day she'll love me. Maybe when I sell out like a little Newport bitch and end up in college like that punk."

"Yeah right. That'll be the day. I can't even get you to go to third period."

He raised his eyebrows as he sat up on the edge of the bed.

"Screw third period. Why don't you hang out here with me? We can just kick it here all day, get some beer…"

"I can't."

"Kaitlin…"

"I'm failing history as it is. Do you really want Mr. Brown calling my parents again? Because if he does and she finds out I'm not in school, I guarantee you Hurricane Julie is gonna be banging and kicking your door down again like last time."

He smirked.

"Your mom is kind of hot when she's pissed."

Kaitlin frowned.

"First of all…gross. Second of all…fuck you for even thinking that. Third of all…let's see how hot you think it is when she brings the cops with her because that's exactly what she threatened last time. And my mom can be such a psycho sometimes. I know she'd do it."

"Whatever. You're being paranoid. Damn, Kaitlin. You've already missed half the day anyway. What's the big deal?"

"I told you, I don't feel like getting in trouble."

"Don't sweat it. Besides," he sat up, kissing her shoulder. "You know you'd rather be here getting drunk with me."

"We ran out of beer last night."

"So? We'll buy some more."

"With what money? You're broke, remember?"

He leaned in closer.

"Let me take care of that. I know this kid that owes me some money. We could stop by his place later and collect."

Kaitlin knew what that meant. With Kevin life was one big party. They drank, smoked weed, snorted coke, listened to music, surfed and had sex. He did what he wanted when he wanted to do it. His entire world revolved around it. Whatever demons he was dealing with inside, he did not use his lifestyle to escape. It was what it was and he enjoyed it, as simple as that. The routine never got old.

"I don't know…"

He grinned. He could feel her caving already. It was no use saying no. Pulling her close, he gave her a kiss until she stopped resisting.

"That's my girl."


	7. Here Comes Trouble

Kaitlin yawned as she made her way to the school's cafeteria. The food at Newport Union wasn't too bad but it was definitely no comparison to the gourmet cuisine served at Harbor, the exclusive private academy that resembled more of a university with its chic décor and Espresso bars at all the main entrances. Still lunch was lunch and the pretty 16 year old was starving. It had been days since she had been back to the trailer park with her family and the pickings were slim in Volchok's cupboards and fridge. Spying her best friend, Jo, in line, Kaitlin grabbed a tray and squeezed in.

"Well, well, if it isn't my long lost best friend," Jo smirked. "I'll alert the media you finally decided to show up for school."

Kaitlin playfully rolled her eyes.

"Why don't you just put out one of those Amber Alert things on me?"

"Your mom was about to. Dude, she called me like 50 times."

"Sorry," Kaitlin mumbled.

"I don't care, it's just that next time she thinks you're supposed to be at my house, you could let me know so I could cover for you. I tried my best but she was pissed off. I think you're totally busted. She knows you're with Volchok."

Kaitlin shrugged. She couldn't have cared less if she had tried. She was exhausted. Her hair and make up were as flawless as could be and despite her family's current financial situation, she was stylishly dressed to the tee but there was something in her eyes. The lack of sleep was catching up to her. Partying for days at a time, drinking, smoking marijuana, and having sex with her boyfriend was beginning to take its toll.

"Whatever."

Jo grinned.

"Glad to see there's no more trouble in paradise."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"You know. All that stuff you were talking about being bored with Dawn Patrol and Volchok. Glad to see it's over and you came back to your senses. I guess you guys just needed some quality time together."

Kaitlin sighed. When she thought of the last few days of her troubled young life, quality time was the last phrase that came to mind. In fact, it had all been a bit of a haze. In fact, she was still coming down from those little blue and yellow and purple pills Kevin had scored the night before.

"Yeah, it's cool."

"And speaking of Prince Charming, where is he?"

"Passed out in his bed."

"Sounds cool. Trust me, if Gabe and I could party and skip school and stay in bed for days, we'd be all about it."

Kaitlin shrugged.

"I got hungry and there are only two places I could get a free meal…here or home. My mom is gonna freak when she sees me and my dad is the last face I want to look at it so I crashed here. Then I'll probably go back."

"Wait a minute, you come to school just for lunch, then you're gonna bail again?"

"Why not?"

"Because one of the teachers or the principal could see you. You could get busted."

"That's half the fun," Kaitlin quipped.

"That's why you're my girl. Volchok's being a bad ass has totally rubbed off on you."

"Please. I was a bad ass way before Volchok."

Smiling, she made her way down the line.

"I'll have a chicken sandwich with lettuce and mayonnaise," she said to the server. "Salad with French dressing and tater tots. Oh and some of that canned fruit and chocolate chip cookies and yogurt. And a Diet Coke."

She ignored the looks from her friend and the others in line as they walked towards the cashier.

"How can you eat all that?"

"Easy," Kaitlin answered as she rifled through her purse and wallet, opening it up to a horrified surprise. "Holy shit!"

"What's up?" Jo asked.

She looked several times just to be sure but there was only a few coins of spare change.

"My money…"

"Did you lose it?"

"Hell no. Fucking Kevin," she shook her head.

It was only a ten dollar bill but that was more than enough for beer. It had happened before and he had promised it would never happen again but so much for a bad boy and his promises.

"What are you gonna do?"

"Can you spot me some money?"

"Dude, I'm broke. Sorry. I can barely pay for my own lunch. I mean, we can split what I have but I don't have a lot of money."

Kaitlin looked at Jo's meager ham and cheese sandwich, chips and milk and sighed. She was so hungry her head throbbed and all she wanted was lunch, a big, hearty lunch. Because of her stupid drunken boyfriend it looked for a moment as if it would be another stomach rumbling afternoon but a glimpse at the register gave her hope.

"Jo, I'll see you later…"

"Are you gonna try to steal that?" Jo whispered, eyes wide.

Kaitlin laughed.

"No way."

"But you don't have any money."

Her eyes lit up.

"But I have a plan…"

Skipping several places in line, she slid behind a familiar twosome.

"I'm telling you, man. I'm in there. She totally wants me."

"Are you sure, Chili?"

"Sure I'm sure. I felt the vibe."

"You felt the ice cold water she threw in your lap after she told you to get lost," the other person grinned.

Tossing her hair back, Kaitlin moved in for the kill. She leaned in and began to laugh herself.

"Kaitlin Cooper," Chili cleared his throat. "Well, hello. Fancy seeing you here."

"Hey, Chili," she smiled. "Hey, Johnny with a J. How could I forget?"

Johnny nodded at her.

"Hey, Kaitlin."

He seemed to blow it off as if it didn't matter that one of Union's prettiest and most notoriously popular girls wasn't checking him out. As if he needed a reminder, Chili, not so inconspicuously elbowed him in the side.

"So, you guys are having lunch?"

"That is the plan," Chili answered.

"Cool. Would you mind some company?"

Chili's mouth fell wide open. Company? Kaitlin Cooper? Had hell frozen over already?

"We would be honored, wouldn't we, Johnny?" he asked after making sure Volchok was nowhere in sight.

Johnny shrugged like it didn't matter one way or another.

"Great. Just let me pay for my lunch and…whoops!" she gave an innocent, surprised look when she opened her wallet. "Oh my. Looks like I forgot my cash."

"Bummer," Chili said, still mesmerized.

"Could one of you boys spot me? You know I'm good for it," she licked her lips seductively.

An excited Chili nudged Johnny again.

"Yeah," Johnny went for his money, wincing in pain and shooting Chili an annoyed glare. "No problem."

He paid for the meal and she followed the two into the seating area, looking back and giving Jo a saucy "I told you so" wink. Quickly walking ahead, she put her tray down at a table designated for two.

"Wow, looks like there's only room for two. You guys were hanging out first, I mean, I don't want to intrude," she said sweetly, all the while making eyes at Chili to beat it.

"You know what? I have this, um, this…thing so why don't you two go ahead and start without me?"

"What thing?" Johnny frowned.

"You know…my thing. Dude, don't make me go into detail. A man can only share so much about his thing so I'll catch up with you two crazy kids later."

With that, he was gone.

"That kid was dropped on his head when he was a baby," Johnny chuckled.

"He's nice but um, honestly, I'm kind of glad he had a thing or whatever to do. Gives us the chance to hang out, get to know each other better. Isn't that cool?"

Johnny shrugged as he put ketchup on his fries.

"I guess. It kind of depends on what your boyfriend thinks."

"Who? Kevin?" Kaitlin played coy.

"The surfer guy that wants to kick my ass…yeah, that would be him."

"He's harmless."

"It sure felt that way on the beach that day."

"You scared?"

"No," Johnny answered truthfully. "I don't want drama with anyone. I don't have a problem with him but if he wants to keep getting in my face, I won't back down. It's just that me hanging out with you…I don't think that helps things. You are his girl and all."

"Don't worry about it," she dismissed it.

"I'm not. Your relationship isn't my business. I mean, I don't think it's right to let the guy treat you like crap."

"I can handle it. We're fine. Besides, he's not bad all the time."

"If you say so."

"I do. So he's not the romantic lovey dovey type."

"Not everybody is."

"Are you?" she batted her eyes.

"Look, Kaitlin…"

"What? You're a good looking guy. I'm sure there was a girl, someone special, from your last town."

"Maybe."

"Want to tell me about her?"

"Not really."

Kaitlin giggled.

"So secretive. Okay. Let's see. What can we talk about? Surfing? School?"

Johnny shrugged.

"Okay."

She nodded.

"Okay. Let's talk then."

"You first.

"Thanks for lunch. That was pretty cool of you."

She gave him a smile that he couldn't help return. Chili had tried to warn him about Kevin Volchok and Dawn Patrol but it was easier said than done resisting the charms of Kaitlin Cooper. The last thing he wanted or needed was trouble and it seemed to lurk in every corner. The two schoolmates laughed and talked, oblivious to the pair of steely eyes watching them from a nearby corner. Apparently Kaitlin wasn't the only one who came to school just for the mid day snacks.


	8. All About The New Kid

Kaitlin yawned as she opened her eyes and stretched out her arms. It was first period and it had been a while since she had gotten to school that early. Nevertheless, she was exhausted and not from a night of partying with Volchok. She was tired for other reasons, mainly the four hour lecture slash bitch fest she had received from her mother the night before. Apparently Julie Cooper had had it with her younger daughter's staying out all night, skipping school and total lack of respect for any and everything. Kaitlin had rolled her eyes as she heard things were about to be different. Oh and to also stay away from Kevin Volchok. She had just smirked and defiantly told her mother, "Yeah, if you stay away from Dad." Her snide remark had led to even more of a fight, thus the girl's growing fatigue.

To add insult to injury, Julie had made good on her promise about things changing. Bright and early that morning, she had demanded her daughter get up on time for school. When Kaitlin had responded with a murmur and rolling over onto her side, the mother returned with a glass of ice cold water that subsequently landed all over Kaitlin's face and pillow. It was a different kind of wake up call but one that showed her that her mother perhaps meant business this time. That was further accentuated when Julie escorted her by hand into Newport Union like she was five years old.

"Where the hell is Mr. Robinson?" she sleepily asked another classmate.

"He had some kind of a meeting," the person explained. "We're on our own for the next 15 minutes."

Kaitlin shrugged. She couldn't argue with that, not having a teacher to get on her case about a simple nap. Putting her head back down, she tried to close her eyes but the voices of the girls behind her were an annoying and unwelcome distraction. They were bunched up towards the back of the class staring out the window.

"Oh my God, look at him," one of them said.

"He is so hot!"

"I know. I heard he moved here from Maryland."

"Yeah, he hangs out with that weirdo, Chili."

Kaitlin's ears perked up like a German Shepherd's. Union was a pretty big school but it wasn't that big. The girls could only be talking about one person. She turned her eyes in their direction, craning her neck to get a better view. Sure enough sitting at one of the outside tables was Johnny Harper. He was alone, listening to music and thumbing through a textbook. A light breeze blew threw his brown locks.

"God, he's fine."

"Do you think he has a girlfriend?"

Kaitlin rolled her eyes. Like any of those girls had a chance with him anyway.

"Why? I mean, doesn't it even matter?" she joined the conversation.

The girls turned towards her.

"You've hung out with him, right?" one asked.

"Yeah," another added. "I heard he likes you. Rumor is, you two were talking a lot and Volchok found out and wants to kick his ass. He even pulled out a knife on him."

"Are you kidding?" Kaitlin scoffed. "I mean, what the hell is this, Gossip Girl? Those rumors are just that…stupid rumors. None of it's true."

"So you're not friends with him?"

"You don't like him?"

"I don't even know him, not that well," she answered. "We just talked a few times, that's all. Kevin had beef with him for a while but it was stupid and it's over now anyway."

"What's he like?" asked one particular girl named Carla. "I mean, you have talked to him. Is he nice? Is he cool?"

"He's alright," she replied nonchalantly.

"Just alright?"

"Yeah. I don't know. If you want to know so much about him, why don't you go talk to him yourself?"

Carla's face turned a brighter shade of red.

"Actually, I just might. That was what I was gonna ask you, Kaitlin. I was thinking about seeing if he maybe wanted to hang out sometime."

Kaitlin felt her body tense. She barely knew Carla and she seemed like an okay enough person but something about her, or any girl for that matter, attempting to "hang out" with Johnny bothered her. Shaking it off, she put her head back down, waiting for the bell to ring. The girls continued to talk as Kaitlin snuck another look out the window. He was a cute guy but it seemed to be more to him than that. He was different, that had been evident from the few times they had talked. He was nice and it was a new face but that's where it ended, as far as she was concerned. If Carla or anyone else wanted to date him, then so be it she thought as the bell rang.

"Thank God," she muttered, grabbing her bag and heading into the crowded hall.

She arrived at her locker where Volchok was waiting. She had given him her combination and he already had it open.

"What's up?" he asked, barely looking at her. "You're here early as hell."

"So are you."

"I heard your mom was tripping."

"What else is new?" Kaitlin sighed. "Whatever. She'll get over it."

"So what do you say about getting out of here after lunch. Me and some of the guys are heading out to San Clemente. Wanna roll?"

"Why?" she frowned. "Who the hell do you know in San Clemente?"

"People. We got a new weed connection. I'm just checking it out."

Weed. Of course. Kaitlin should have known. If it wasn't marijuana, it was alcohol or partying or surfing. It was always the same old thing with the same old crowd.

"Oh."

"It'll be cool. You in or not?"

She thought for a moment but quickly decided against it. After all, she had heard and felt the wrath of Julie Cooper enough for one night. She had been given strict orders to come home right after school. To defy that, it would have to be for something really good and scoring pot in San Clemente hardly seemed worth it.

"Nah, I think I'll pass."

Volchok narrowed his eyes.

"You sure?"

"I'm cool. Look, I have to go but I'll call you later, okay?"

Without waiting for a response, she gave him a quick kiss before walking away. He shrugged and brushed it off, counting the hours until it was time for him to ditch school, all the while wondering why he had even bothered to show up in the first place.

"You down for later on?" Blade, one of the Dawn Patrol members, asked, approaching Volchok, bumping fists with him.

"What's up, man? Yeah, it's cool."

"Your girl rolling?"

Volchok shook his head.

"Not this time."

"What's her deal?"

"I don't know. Her parents are all on my nuts and pissed about us hanging out and stuff. I don't know. I guess she's just laying low. Whatever. It's cool."

Blade just smirked.

"You sure that's all it is?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Volchok wasn't exactly known for his sense of humor.

"Nothing, dude. I was just messing around. I mean, she was hanging out with that new punk from the beach and they were talking about him in class and…"

"What?"

Blade had just had the previous class with Kaitlin.

"It's probably nothing. You know how chicks are. A couple of them were talking about that douche bag and 'he's so cute' and blah, blah, blah. Anyway, it's nothing to worry about. Besides, the guy isn't that stupid to make a move on your girl or anything. You already warned his ass, right?"

But Volchok was silent. He had warned the new kid on the block and usually a Dawn Patrol warning was more than enough but the little surfer boy from Maryland hadn't seen to heed the words of advice. He had seen them talking and laughing in the cafeteria and now he was hearing second hand accounts of Kaitlin Cooper, _his _Kaitlin talking about him in class. Now she was passing up the opportunity to hang out with him and cut class, a basic ritual for them.

A smirk crossed Volchok's lips. It was nothing to get worked up over. Perhaps threats were idle on the East Coast. Maybe it was time to show the new guy exactly what the deal was. After all, Newport Union was his school and Dawn Patrol owned the waves…and he owned Kaitlin. Perhaps he hadn't made that clear enough before. No worries. Johnny Harper's time would come. Kevin Volchok didn't get mad. He got even.


	9. Speaking The Same Language

The weather was warm with the afternoon sun shining brightly. It was perfect for surfing but Chili couldn't help but shiver involuntarily and his trembling had nothing to do with the temperature outside.

"Ready, man?" his friend, Johnny asked.

"I…I don't know, dude. These waves, you know, don't they seem kind of high to you?"

Johnny just shook his head.

"Chili, what is wrong with you? These are the best waves on the beach."

Chili swallowed hard. He knew that. He also knew they were in Dawn Patrol territory. Kevin Volchok had already given Johnny full and fair warning about trespassing on his turf. Johnny had virtually ignored him. It was a public beach and as far as he was concerned, he, they could go any and everywhere they damn well pleased.

"I know. It just doesn't seem safe, that's all. You know."

"No, I don't know. But I am going out there. You with me?"

With a reluctant sigh, Chili finished putting on the rest of his wetsuit. As Johnny grabbed his board, his cell phone rang and he answered it. It was his mother.

"Hey, sweetie. What's going on?" she asked.

"Nothing much, Mom. You home already?"

"Yeah. I got off early. Just calling to check in on you."

"I'm cool. Chili and I went to the beach after school. We're just gonna catch a few waves before dark. I'll be home soon."

"Sounds good. How about Chicken Marsala for dinner? I know it's one of your favorites.'

Chicken Marsala did sound good and no one made it like his mother. A nice quiet homemade dinner at home with mother and son was a welcome change and he couldn't wait.

"It's cool. I'll be there in a couple of hours."

"Alright, baby. You two be careful. See you soon."

He hung up the phone and turned to his friend.

"Let's do it," he mouthed.

With their boards in two, the two headed straight for the water at full speed. The water was perfect, with just the right amount of wind. By all accounts, Chili was good and he knew it but his skills simply couldn't match the natural talent and ability of his good friend, Johnny. The tall and lanky young man from Maryland was a force to be reckoned with on the waves. He made it look easy as his frame, built for the sport, effortlessly tackled and rode the waves like he owned them. He controlled the board without difficulty, mastering all the turns and tricks he had learned and perfected over the years.

After a while, Chili paddled back to the shore and just watched, kicking back enjoying the show. If it was a sponsorship Johnny was looking for in order to tour with Pac West, he had more than a reasonable shot at getting one. The only problem was they only chose one surfer for the competition and the competition in Newport Beach was fierce. Among his biggest competitor, was Kevin Volchok. A alcohol drinking, pot smoking, fight picking delinquent, all could agree on one point…he was a god out there on water, the undisputed king of kings. Until now. There was a new threat to the throne and Volchok didn't take kindly to threats, unless he was the one behind them. It would be an awesome match up but one Chili feared would never happen. Because of jealously on the waves, partly mixed with the Kaitlin situation, Chili had the sinking feeling a fair one on one surf off would never happen. Everyone knew Dawn Patrol didn't play by the rules. They didn't have to. They simply made their own.

And Kaitlin herself was another issue. She was the beautiful bad girl who had gone from riches to rags. From the first moment she arrived at Newport Union, Chili had realized two things. One…she was just as intriguing as she was gorgeous. Two…she was trouble. That was before she hooked up with Volchok and even more so as she settled in with her newfound crew as queen of the Dawn Patrol. He had tried to explain it to Johnny but he just didn't seem to get it. It wasn't like he sought her out but when Kaitlin came around, he didn't exactly walk away either. That was exactly what he needed to do. Even though they weren't doing anything wrong, Volchok and his gang would always see it that way and it would just add fuel to the fire.

It had remained innocent but there was always the possibility of something more. Johnny didn't seem to be interested in her romantically but she was pretty and fun and above all interesting. All the guys had wanted her when she had first transferred and the only thing that had changed their interest was the fear of death at the hands of her crazy boyfriend. The only thing worse was if Johnny really fell for Kaitlin. Chili just shuddered again at the thought as he continued watching Johnny surf.

Nearby, out of sight and unbeknown to the boys a van pulled up. Chili wasn't the only one watching Johnny. The entire time he surfed, another set of steely blue eyes had been paying particular attention. And he hadn't liked what he had seen. He was a lame ass punk who had just moved there and now was trying to move in. He was a rival for Pac West and a rival for Kaitlin Cooper. To add insult to injury, he had disrespected Volchok and his crew by basically ignoring everything they had warned him about. He had been ordered to stay away from that part of the beach and he had been ordered to stay away from Kaitlin. Now for the third time, Volchok was a getting a first hand eyewitness account of Johnny Harper's blatant lack of respect.

"Dude, what the fuck?" one of the guys grumbled, leaning back in the passenger's seat. "We've been out here for hours. I'm hungry and I'm bored. Are we gonna do something or not?"

"Yeah," Gabe Pratt agreed. "I mean, it's only two hours until Jo's dad gets off work. If I'm gonna go over there and get some ass, we better hurry up and kick that punk's."

Kevin Volchok didn't say a word. In fact, he hadn't spoken much since he and his friends had followed Johnny and Chili to the beach. He had watched them intently for over an hour, studying his surfing and replaying the scenes of he and Kaitlin together over and over in his mind. He had already beaten the kid down one time. Then he had tried to intimidate with words. Obviously neither had had little or any effect. Now it was time to take it a step further. Apparently they weren't speaking the same language. It was time for someone to get hurt. Maybe he would understand that.

"Let's go," he said.

And that was all it took. Two words from their fearless leader and the four other guys filed out of the car like trained soldiers. They marched through the sand wordlessly, headed straight for their unsuspecting and unprepared targets.

"Dude, that was rad!" Chili yelled at the top of his lungs as Johnny exited the water.

They slapped hands.

"Just getting ready, man. You know how it is. This is important to me. Surfing is my ticket to everything. It's stiff competition out here, I know that. You have to be more than good. If I'm gonna be ready when the time comes, I have to practice."

"Cool," Chili said as they started back towards their belongings. "I have an idea. My dad has a video camera. Maybe I should start filming you. It'd be kind of cool to look at it, you know, see ways to get better, do new tricks and stuff."

"Yeah," Johnny nodded. "I like that. That's a good idea. It'd be cool if you could hook that up, man. I appreciate it."

They arrived at where they had set up but as the sun was just beginning to set, they realized they were not alone. Five familiar, unfriendly faces were waiting for them.

"Oh shit," Chili muttered, feeling his knees go all weak.

"It's about time you two bitches got out of the water," Gabe snarled.

"We, we, we, we, we were just leaving," Chili stammered.

"Looks like we got Stuttering Steve. Damn, makes me almost feel bad for what I'm about to do to his ass."

"His name is Chili and you need to leave him alone," Johnny spoke up. "You don't have a problem with him, your beef is with me. Leave him out of it."

"Defending your girlfriend?" one asked.

"Nah, he's too busy trying to fuck mine," Volchok sneered.

"Look. I already told you…"

"And I already told you. What is your problem, man? I gave your dumb ass a free pass. Alls you had to do was stay away from this part of the beach and stay away from my girl. You couldn't do either one."

"This is stupid," Johnny shook his head. "We don't even know each other. I barely know Kaitlin. Nothing is going on there but you don't own her and you can't bully me into not talking to people and not going to the beach. Whatever your problem is, I say we settle it at the right time in the water when we battle for the sponsorship. Until then, man, I got nothing else to say to you."

He tried to brush by them and ignore them. The plan was simple…get their stuff and walk away. But it wasn't too be. Dawn Patrol wasn't going to just let it ride. Volchok gave the nod and one of the guys grabbed Chili while another began punching him repeatedly in the face and stomach. The skinny kid doubled over, whimpering and spitting out blood.

"Don't stop!" Volchok commanded even though it was clear Chili had had enough.

"What's your problem?" Johnny lunged forward. "What are you guys doing? Get off him, you're gonna kill him!"

"No, we're gonna kill you."

The first punch came from out of nowhere. Then the second and the third. Johnny gasped as he was hit square in the chest. It was hard to catch his breath and as blood trickled from his forehead into his eye, it was hard to see as well. With so many of them at once, it was impossible to even fight back. All he could do was try to protect his head.

"Little bitch," Volchok kicked him down and spat on him.

They weren't done. Johnny could only watch in horror as Volchok and his boys took his beloved surfboard. Laughing evilly, they proceeded to destroy it. When it was in pieces, they took the biggest one and gave Chili one final blow across the back.

"Please…" he begged in a whisper.

With a smirk, Volchok gave a gesture and the others immediately stopped and begin heading back to wherever they had come from.

"Good luck with the sponsorship," he taunted before leaning down with final, angry words. "I mean business, man. Next time it'll be worse."

And like that he was gone, once again leaving a bleeding Johnny left on the beach. But getting beaten up wasn't the worst part. Now another innocent person had been dragged into the unnecessary mess. They had jumped Chili for no reason and Johnny couldn't help but feel responsible. When he was able to, he crawled over to his friend, praying he wasn't dead.

"Chili…Chili…man, open, open your eyes," he grunted through his own pain. "Come on. Say something."

It felt like an eternity but the injured young man finally spoke.

"Your board…" he managed.

"Screw the board. Those crazy assholes."

"I…I'm sorry. You can have mine."

"Don't worry about the stupid board. Just…we have to get you out of here, man. Are you gonna be okay?"

Slowly Johnny stood and after a few minutes when he was stable, he helped his friend do so as well. Bleeding and badly hurt, the two began the long journey home. Angry tears threatened to fall from Johnny's eyes but he refused to let them. It was a mistake, all of it. Surfing, Newport Union, Kaitlin, Volchok, leaving Maryland…especially leaving Maryland. These people were crazy and he knew he didn't belong. At that moment, all he wanted was to go home.


	10. Figuring Out The Rules

It had started off such a normal day. It had been a good day. The time at school had flown by and Johnny had spent the afternoon clowning around with Chili and after a quick snack at In-N-Out Burger, the boys had headed to the beach to surf. All the young teenager had wanted was to catch a few good waves, then he'd be off to hang out with his mom and enjoy a real home cooked meal. But it wasn't to be. Something had gone horribly wrong.

He had time to think about it. In fact, he had nothing but time. It had taken forever it seemed to get off that beach. And somewhere in the shuffle, he had lost his cell phone. All he could do was pick up the broken pieces of his beloved board with one hand, and the mangled body of Chili, with the other. Holding him up, the boys had limped home, ending with Chili, bloody and in pain, struggling to climb through his bedroom window rather than face his folks and the millions of questions they'd surely have for him. Once he was safely inside, alone Johnny walked the quiet streets until he reached his own house.

The longer he walked, the angrier he became. Adrenaline filled his body. Where were Kevin Volchok and his thugs when Johnny was ready? He was so mad and so pumped up at that moment, he felt like he could have taken them all on. But of course they were nowhere in sight. There was nothing but an empty street and an even emptier feeling. Following suit with Chili, he opted for a less conspicuous entrance as well. He walked towards the backyard to gain entry through his bedroom window but stopped when he heard voices coming from the small patio his mother had fixed up. Taking a better look, he saw his mother drinking what looked like a glass of wine. She was not alone. Sitting next to her was Jack Harper. The rage ripped through Johnny's body like a furious, uncontrollable inferno. All of a sudden, he hated it. He hated it all.

"He should really be here by now," Gwen looked down at her watch again. "I'm starting to worry, especially with him not answering his phone."

"I'm sure the boy is fine, Gwen," her ex tried to reassure her.

Shaking his head, Johnny threw the biggest piece of the surfboard left, right at the siding of the house. The loud crash startled his parents, as they both stood. Gwen set down her glass while Jack silently cautioned her to stay behind as he took a few cautious steps forward to investigate the scene. A few seconds later, Johnny made his presence known as he began kicking and punching violently at the house.

"Oh my God!" Gwen screamed.

"Just calm down, son," Jack approached, trying to grab his arm.

Johnny angrily jerked away.

"Get the fuck off of me, man! I'm not your son!"

Taking a step back, Jack put both arms up.

"It's alright," he spoke in a softer voice.

"Shut up!" Johnny spat. "Just shut up! What are you even doing here? Huh? Why the hell are you even here?"

"Johnny…" Gwen stopped mid sentence when she caught a better glimpse at her son's face.

It was a horrific sight. The left eye had started to blacken and there was a cut over the right one. Dried blood caked around his nose and mouth and there was a nasty bruise on his forehead.

"Looks like you stepped in front of a bus," Jack shook his head. "Let me guess, we should see the other guy, right?"

"Son of a bitch!" Johnny lunged at him, full force, pieces of the board still in his hand.

"Alright! Enough!" Gwen separated the two by stepping in the middle. "Jack, I, I'm sorry but I think you should go."

He looked gruffly disappointed but conceded with a nod, concern for the son he'd abandoned all those years before, still etched on his face.

"You sure you're okay?"

"It's fine. We're fine."

With that, he left them alone.

"Why was he here, Mom?"

"Johnny…"

"Answer me! Did you call him?"

"No. I…"

He shook his head in disgust.

"That's why we're here, isn't it?" he asked point blank. "You lied to me. We moved out here because you wanted to get back with him."

"Johnny, that is not true…"

"You're such a bitch! You're a lying bitch!"

Shocked, she gasped and slapped the side of his face. He was her beloved son, always a mild mannered, soft spoken good boy. She had raised him better than to be disrespectful and it had surprised and hurt her when he'd called her such a name. Her reaction was reflex but instantly she regretted it.

"I, I…I'm sorry. Johnny, I didn't mean to…"

He backed away from her.

"Didn't mean to what? Ruin my life? Because that's exactly what you did. You ruined everything when you made us come out here!"

"What is wrong with you? Sweetie, what is going on?"

"Nothing! I just hate it here! I fucking hate it and it's stupid and I want to go back to Maryland."

"Johnny, talk to me. Your face…did you get into a fight?"

He rolled his eyes.

"No, I stepped in front of a bus just like Jack said."

"That's not funny. I don't want you fighting. Something is going on here, something you're not telling me. Now I want to know the truth. I saw the bruises on you after that beach party and you told me it was nothing. Now you come home late with your face bashed in and your board in pieces. Honey, I can't help you unless you tell me what is happening to you."

"You want to know what's happening? You want the truth?"

"Yes. Yes, I do. Please."

"Fine, Mom. I didn't want to come out here but you said we'd have a better life and you'd have a better job and I'd have a better chance at the pros. You promised everything would be better but it's not! It sucks! You're always working overtime and now you've got that loser, Jack, hanging around here! Look at you two, sitting on the porch drinking. I mean, what the fuck? You reminiscing about old times? What, the time he cheated or whipped your ass or left us or all of them?"

Tears filled her eyes.

"That's not fair," she whispered.

"Well welcome to my world because none of this is fair. I miss the old neighborhood and I miss my friends and I miss Casey!"

"I know you do. Johnny, I miss home, too but this…sweetheart, this is our new home now. You have to move on, you have to move forward. You have to make new friends and meet new girls. What about Chili?"

"What about him? I almost got Chili killed tonight!"

"Johnny, what is going on? I am not going to ask you again. Are you in some kind of trouble? Is it gangs? Is it drugs?"

"No! I was minding my own business and I met this chick, I don't even know her that well and her boyfriend surfs and he got all pissed and jealous and told me to stay away from Kaitlin and stay away from the beach and…"

"Okay, okay. It sounds like this kid has some serious issues but he's probably just jealous."

"No shit, Mom! That's why he and his boys jumped us tonight."

Gwen touched his face and he flinched in pain.

"That doesn't look good. Maybe we should go to the hospital. That cut might need stitches."

"I'm fine!" he pulled away again.

"And Chili?"

"He says he's okay but I know they hurt him pretty bad."

"That's absolutely ridiculous! Schoolyard bullying and arguing over a girl is one thing but this has gone way too far! This is assault! I am going to that school in the morning and talking to your principal and…"

"Mom! No! Don't!"

"Johnny…"

"You're just gonna make it worse! I can handle it."

"How? Like you've been handling it? I don't want you or anyone else getting hurt."

"Just leave it alone," he mumbled.

"Your board? Those boys did that to your board?"

Johnny threw the rest of it as hard as he could across the property.

"I don't care!"

"We paid a lot of money for that board. You need that to practice and for competitions. What about your phone? Did they steal it?"

"I lost the stupid phone, okay? Look, I'm gonna chill with the surfing thing for now."

"Sweetie…"

"Just let it go, I said. I know what I'm doing."

"There has to be another way. You should be able to surf and talk to whatever girl you want without feeling threatened."

"I don't care anymore. I want to go home but I know that will never happened. This place is so messed up…the school is whack, the girls are nothing but trouble and now you're getting back together with Jack."

"I am not getting back together with Jack."

"It's just screwed up. Nothing makes sense. I don't get it."

"Come here, baby…" she put her arms around him.

As a mother, it killed her to see her child in so much pain, both physical and emotional. All she wanted to do was help him.

"I hate it, Mom. I just want to go home, back where things made sense. Please. Let's just get out of here."

She wrapped a protective arm around him and walked him in the house.

"Let's just go inside. We'll get you cleaned up and I'll heat up your dinner and afterwards we can sit down and talk, okay?"

"The rules don't make any sense around here."

She gave him a bigger hug and fought back her own tears.

"Then we'll figure them out together."


	11. Leaving Well Enough Alone

"Hey, Johnny, man, thanks for those notes on the Canterbury Tales," Chili thanked his friend after English class. "That was sweet. You really saved my ass on that Literature quiz."

"No problem. It's the least I can do, man."

Johnny meant it. He felt awful. In his mind, he'd have to do a lot more than help Chili on a test. He owed him. After all, he was the reason Chili had ended up with two fractured ribs. Other than Johnny's beloved surfboard and his pride being damaged, Johnny had managed to walk away with just cuts and bruises. They both had been lucky to just survive Dawn Patrol's vicious and unwarranted attack on the beach.

"You should come over and hang out after school. I got this sick new video game and…"

The conversation was interrupted when tiny but determined footsteps made their way over to the bench the guys were sitting on. She stood over them, pout on her lips, hand on her hips.

"What happened to you?" she demanded, noting the bruises still on their faces.

"Uh oh," Chili tensed up.

Kaitlin was undeterred.

"I heard there was a fight. What happened?"

"Let's just get out of here, Johnny," Chili grabbed his arm.

The two turned to walk away but she only followed them.

"I asked you a question."

"Fine," Johnny answered. "You heard right. There was a fight but I'm sure you already got the breaking details firsthand."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Johnny, come on. Let's go"

"Chili…"

"Bro, you know I always have your back. You're my boy and everything but you know what you know who said. Sorry but I don't feel like getting any more bones broken today."

Chili was right and Johnny knew it. It was pointless. He should have walked away right then and there but something made him stay.

"It's cool, man. Go ahead. I'll catch up with you later."

"Johnny…" Chili pleaded further.

"It's okay. I'll be there in a minute."

Shaking his head, Chili took one last look at the beautiful girl partly to blame for the whole mess before he walked away. Johnny turned his attention back to her and she looked impatient, arms folded.

"Did Volchok and the guys jump you and Chili at the beach? That's what I heard."

"Like you didn't know."

"Actually, I didn't. I heard about it here like everybody else."

"Yeah right."

"I did. What? You don't believe me? Are you trying to say I was in on it or something? Do you think I set you up?"

Johnny shrugged.

"Honestly, I don't know what to think and at this point, I don't even care. This town is pretty screwed up."

"What was it about?"

"It's bullshit. Besides, it's over now."

"It's about Pac West, isn't it?" she asked.

Johnny looked away.

"Looks like your little boyfriend is real territorial about the beach."

Kaitlin shook her head in disgust.

"It's so ridiculous. He acts like such a little kid sometimes…"

"Yeah, well, whatever. I have to go."

"I'm gonna talk to him."

"About what?"

"About you, about everything. This shit has to stop. He can't go around jumping people for no reason. It's just a stupid surf competition. And if winning was that damned important to him, he'd be out there practicing on the waves more instead of getting high and drunk all the time."

"Well, that's between you two. I really don't want to be involved in all that. He's your boyfriend and if you want to talk to him, fine, but don't do it on my account."

"Your account? Whatever. Look, I get the whole tough guy, macho thing, okay? You're the new kid in town and you don't want to look like a punk. That's all fine and dandy but the bottom line is, Volchok is majorly psycho sometimes and he has a bunch of losers who follow him around and do whatever he wants, which you know by now includes beating up on innocent people. You didn't do anything wrong. You and your friend should be able to come to school and surf where you want and not have to worry about getting you head cracked open in the process."

"Don't do me any favors. Like I said, it's over now."

"How do you know?'

"Because I'm gonna chill for a bit with the surfing."

"What?"

"I'm just gonna take a break and…"

"Why? Because of Kevin?"

"Because of him and because they trashed my board and because of Chili and my parents and a bunch of other shit that really isn't your business. Look, I still haven't figured you out yet and at this point, I'm done trying. But I don't need your help and I didn't ask for it. I don't want it. So the best thing is I think we should stay away from each other."

"This is my fault, isn't it?" she asked quietly.

"What?"

"It just wasn't about the surfing. It's about me. Kevin has seen us talking and stuff and he got jealous."

"Wasn't that the whole point?"

"Excuse me?"

"Kaitlin, I'm not stupid. That first night at that party on the beach when you came up to me? I know what you were doing. You were trying to make your boyfriend jealous. I don't know what goes on in your relationship and stuff but look what you did. You wanted to get him all riled up and you did. I hope the game was worth it for you."

"It, it wasn't a game."

"If that's what you say. Look, I'm not gonna argue with you."

"Okay, maybe you're right. Maybe in the beginning it was kind of like that. Maybe I was just bored. But whatever it was, it was totally harmless. I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I didn't want anyone to get hurt, I promise you. I didn't mean to get you stalked by Dawn Patrol and I didn't mean to get your board ruined or get Chili's ribs broken. I, I don't know what I was thinking. It was stupid."

"Yeah, it was."

"For what it's worth, he's a real jerk, or at least he can be sometimes. This is my fault and I want to fix it in some way. So if I can…"

"You can't. It's over with. Just leave it alone. Leave me alone."

She looked away, honestly feeling guilty about it all.

"Yeah. Um, okay. I can see where'd you'd be pretty mad at me. So if you want me to just leave it alone and not to talk to you, then fine."

"It is. That's exactly what I want"

"It won't happen again. I'll get him to leave you alone, it's the least I can do," she looked right at him.

"Don't worry about me. Look, the worst part about this is that Chili got pulled in the middle of it. I hate that but I can take care of myself. Besides, if you want to be worried about someone, maybe you should take a good look in the mirror."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I've seen what Volchok is capable of, I mean, look at my face. I've also seen how he treats you. Nobody deserves that. You don't deserve it. Maybe in your mind you think it's cool to run with his gang, maybe it makes you popular in a lot of people's eyes but in mine it just makes you look stupid. And I know you're not a stupid girl, Kaitlin. It's not my business but maybe you should think about what you're doing and what he's doing to you. If you did, maybe you'd see you're not half as happy as you think you are. Maybe you'd see all the drama and the fights and the games aren't even worth it."

He had touched a nerve somewhere deep inside. For a few seconds, her vulnerability showed as the tough girl exterior melted away.

"I'm sorry," she said in a voice barely above a whisper.

He looked her in the eye. She was the girl he had been forbidden to talk to. She had been the root of all his newfound troubles. He should have walked away when Chili had but something made him stay. It was something about Kaitlin, not necessarily something he liked but more like something he related to. There was a pain and loneliness inside her something, he knew about all too well. Perhaps in another time and place they could have been friends. But for now he knew it was best to just stay clear of the situation.

"Yeah," he finally walked away. "Me too."


	12. Partners

"…Ladies and gentlemen, the class topic for the next six weeks will be Evolutionary Biology. We will study the early evolution of life, including scientific mechanisms and evidence of that evolution as well as relationships…"

Johnny tapped his pencil impatiently against his desk, barely concentrating on what the teacher was talking about. He was a new transfer into that particular class, much to his dismay. Science of any kind had always been one of his least favorite subjects. Normally he couldn't wait for school to be over so he could be off to the beach pursuing his number one passion on the waves. But plans had changed as of late. In fact a lot had changed. When Johnny wasn't hanging out after school at Chili's house, he found himself holed up in his room sulking, mad at the world.

"…Our primary initial focus will involve both aerobic and anaerobic respiration, archaebacteria and eubacteria along with the habitat and the study of chemosynthesis. We will use text books and group discussion. At the end of the term, there will be a team project, with each of you split into pairs you were originally assigned to. That assignment will count towards half of your final grade…"

Murmurs resounded throughout the classroom. Johnny could only scratch his head. The teacher may as well have been speaking a foreign language to him. It sounded like a lot of hard work but at least he'd have another person to share it with. He hadn't met and befriended a lot of schoolmates so he didn't know a lot of people. Mostly he was known as the new kid who kept getting his ass kicked by Volchok's gang. Looking around, he did a quick check to make sure there were no members of Dawn Patrol in his class. He couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when he was sure they were none.

"…Moving right along, class…"

The door opened sans knock, interrupting the instructor mid-sentence. All eyes looked up to see who it was. Johnny bit his lip. Great! The drama couldn't have been scripted any better.

"…Ah, Miss Kaitlin Cooper, only 20 minutes late today. How nice of you to join us. To what do we owe the honor?"

Kaitlin rolled her eyes, reaching in her bag and finally placing a slightly crumpled piece of paper in the woman's hands.

"I have a note," she said, not waiting for a response, taking her seat. "I was with the guidance counselor."

The teacher's eyes browsed the paper but quickly went back to the discussion at hand.

"Very well. Miss Cooper, you must rely on some of your fellow classmates to fill you in on what we've been going over. You have the text in your possession and a copy of the course syllabus can be picked up when the final bell rings. The end of the term presents a team project counting towards half your grade. Use the partner you were assigned to at the beginning of class."

Kaitlin popped a piece of gum.

"I don't have a partner. I was never assigned."

The teacher narrowed her eyes.

"Perhaps that assignment took place on one of the many days you were absent."

Kaitlin shot her a fake, sarcastic smile as she went to review the roster on her desk.

"It looks as though everyone has been paired up. We might possibly have to make one a team of three. Class, is there anyone at this time without a partner?"

Johnny cursed under his breath. He didn't know what was worse…what was about to come or the fact that he suddenly felt all eyes upon him.

"I don't have a partner," he quietly mumbled.

For the first time Kaitlin turned around and their eyes quickly met before she looked away.

"Ah, yes, Mr. Harper, our new transfer. Well, problem resolved. Mr. Harper, Miss Cooper, I suggest you get acquainted because you are going to be working very closely together over the next six weeks, starting with this assignment. You are to read the required text, then write a report and prepare a PowerPoint presentation that defends or refutes the hypothesis that life evolved from the ocean. This is another pairs project. Please use the remainder of class to discuss strategy and preparations with your partner."

The class played a round of musical chairs as they made their way over to their partners. When it could no longer be avoided, Johnny Harper gathered his belongings and moved into the vacant seat behind Kaitlin Cooper.

"Looks like it's your lucky day," she didn't crack a smile.

He took a deep breath.

"Look…"

"Let me guess. You didn't want this. You didn't ask for this. I get that. Well, I didn't ask for it either. I know this totally violates the little no contact policy you put together for us. Believe me, I did not do this on purpose."

"What if we went to the teacher?" he thought for a minute. "I mean, if we explained stuff, do you think she'd let us switch?"

Kaitlin laughed out loud.

"That old hag? Yeah right. Not in this lifetime. Besides, what would we explain?"

"Alright, I guess we don't have a choice. If we want to pass, then we have to work together."

"Okay."

"That means actually work. Look, science isn't really my thing. I'll be the first to admit I'm not really good at it. I don't know a lot of stuff but I'm willing to work hard. I'm willing to do half but I'm gonna need the same thing from you."

"Excuse me?" she wrinkled her nose.

"I'm not trying to be mean or whatever but it doesn't exactly seem like school is the number one thing on your list right now. I mean, you barely show up. That's your business and stuff but this is my grade, too. I expect you to show up to class and pull your own weight."

"God, you sound like a parent right now."

"Kaitlin…"

"Okay, okay. I get you. I'll show up to class and give it a try. I won't flake, I promise."

"And another thing."

"What? My left arm?"

"No. I'm being serious. Volchok."

"What about him?"

"I don't want any trouble. We're partners and stuff not by choice and we're gonna have to talk and spend time together. I just don't want him…"

"To get the wrong idea?"

"Well, yeah."

"It's cool," she flipped her long hair. "Don't sweat it."

"What do you mean?"

"I'll handle it."

"How?"

"Don't worry about it, just trust me. Kevin and the rest of those guys won't be a problem, not on this one. I give you my word."

Somehow her word alone wasn't reassuring enough.

"Alright, um, how do you want to do this? I guess we can read this stuff on our own. It's like Greek to me but maybe it'll make more sense in the class discussions."

"Maybe."

"I guess we could do an outline of the report together and then divide who's gonna write what. After that, we could take the highlights of the report and use that stuff for the slideshow."

"Cool. I mean, whatever. Sounds like a plan."

"Just do all the reading tonight and I'll meet you at the library after school tomorrow so we can get started."

She nodded and the bell rang, saving them all. Getting his belongings together, he left the class without even so much a good bye. He headed straight to his locker where Chili was already waiting.

"What's up, dude? I tell you, study hall equals sweet!"

"Wish I could say the same," Johnny shook his head and opened his locker.

"Science kicking your ass?"

"Yeah that and the fact that all of a sudden I am biology partners with Kaitlin."

Chili's eyes grew wide.

"Kaitlin? Kaitlin Cooper? Volchok's Kaitlin? Dawn Patrol Kaitlin? The Kaitlin that almost got both of us killed? The Kaitlin we agreed you wouldn't talk to anymore Kaitlin?"

Johnny sighed.

"That would be her."

"Bro, are you nuts?"

"What do you want me to do? I don't like it either but my hands are tied."

Chili shook his head.

"For the record let me state that I do not have a very good feeling about this one. Not at all."

Johnny shoved his books inside his locker turning around just as Kaitlin, Jo, and a few of the other Dawn Patrol girlfriends walked by.

"I don't either," he muttered under his breath.


	13. Great Expectations

The blaring rap music could be heard from blocks away, followed by the laughter and voices of the teenagers playing it. It was another one of those "can't miss" get togethers, house parties thrown notoriously by the Dawn Patrol gang. It was there where you could mingle with all the cool kids, and of course indulge in all the alcohol, drugs and sex you wanted. It was _the _place to be but as Kaitlin approached the site of the latest fiasco all she could do was think of about a dozen other places she'd rather be. Sure it was her crew and usually her kind of scene but after a while, the parties all sort of began to blend together. She had a good mind to turn around and go home. It wasn't like Volchok would miss her that much anyway, in fact, he wasn't even expecting her. But as soon as she turned on her heels, her best friend, Jo was right at her side.

"Dude, tell me I just didn't catch your ass trying to bail on us."

"Guilty as charged," Kaitlin muttered as she was practically dragged towards the action.

"Okay, I had chalked it up to PMS or whatever but you are seriously going way soft on me."

Kaitlin shrugged.

"You know how it is. They party like this all the time. It gets kind of old after a while. Besides, I have better shit to do."

"Like?"

Kaitlin thought for a minute.

"Grey's Anatomy is on."

Jo grinned as she put her arm around her friend.

"Bitch, that's what TiVo is for now come on."

"Just for a little bit. I have this stupid paper due on Evolutionary Biology and it's totally kicking my ass. I've been working on it for like two days and I'm still nowhere near finished."

"Who cares?" Jo lit a cigarette.

"I just don't want to flunk and I don't want to hear my parents' shit and the teacher is a total slave driver. Anyway, the paper is like the first part of a team project. We kind of got partnered up so it would be kind of lame to mess up somebody else's grade."

"I heard about that."

"Heard about what?"

Jo shook her head.

"I just don't get you. Volchok is hot. He's a bad boy and he's popular and he's gonna do big things with his surfing one day. Yeah, I get he can be a little rough around the edges but so what? Gabe gets like that too sometimes, you just deal with it. Every chick at Union wants Kevin Volchok and he wants you. You used to be cool with it. In fact, you used to be more than cool with it. Now all of a sudden this Johnny guy transfers in and changes everything."

"Jo…"

"I'm for real. It sucks. What's going on with you?"

"It has nothing to do with Johnny Harper, I can tell you that much. Look, it's not a big deal. This just gets boring after a while. I already said it like a million times before and it was getting old way before Johnny got here."

"Do you like him?"

Kaitlin tried to shrug it off.

"He's just a guy."

"That's not what I asked. First, you go flirt with him and I'm thinking it's just to make Volchok jealous and I'm all like, 'whatever' but now it's like you're really into him or something."

"We're lab partners for a stupid class, that's it."

"That better be it."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Haven't you seen enough already? If Volchok thinks this kid is after his girl or his spot at Pac West still, then the beatings are only gonna get worse. I mean, at least feel sorry for the guy and leave him alone so Dawn Patrol will quit kicking his ass."

Kaitlin frowned.

"There's nothing between Johnny and me, I already told you. I'm not into him like that and he's not into me either. And as far as surfing, well, Johnny's chilled on that."

"Good."

"Is it?" Kaitlin raised an eyebrow. "Because he's good and everybody knows he's good. Being forced to quit kind of sucks, especially when you moved across the country for it."

"Everybody knows Volchok is good too. Your boyfriend is the best."

"Maybe. But if he's so good, then why was he so threatened?"

It was a question even an exasperated Jo could not answer as they entered party central, smack dab into the middle of the festivities. Following suit of the usual, the two girls grabbed a cup of beer from the overflowing keg as their friends and classmates parted both sides of the floor like the Red Sea. Downing half a cup in a single gulp, Kaitlin craned her neck for a better view. She was surrounded by the same old familiar faces, all except one.

"I thought your ass was never gonna get here."

They turned and Jo smiled as Gabe, her boyfriend and best friend of Volchok approached them. He greeted her with a slap on the behind and a sloppy kiss as Kaitlin stood impatiently for what seemed like forever waiting for the two to finally quit making out.

"Still standing here," she cleared her throat, annoyed.

Gabe just smirked.

"What's up, Kaitlin?"

"Nothing. Where's Kevin?"

He shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know. Around I guess. He might have gone out for some more weed. We're getting pretty low."

She rolled her eyes. It was the most logical explanation except for one thing.

"Negative. His van is parked outside."

"Well, I don't know. Shit. Maybe he came back already."

"It's cool," Jo smiled. "Finish your beer. I got half a joint in my bag. Just wait a few minutes. You know how Volchok is. He's bound to show up sooner or later."

"Yeah," an obviously high Gabe nervously shifted his weight back and forth. "Besides, I thought you weren't coming anyway. He said you bailed."

"Yeah, I was gonna and he got all pissed over the phone so I came to hang out with him and now no one knows where the hell he is."

"Sorry," he replied half heartedly, lighting a cigarette.

"Whatever. I'm gonna go to the bathroom," Kaitlin turned to leave.

"Wait!" Gabe practically grabbed her arm.

"What?"

"Um, why don't you and Jo go roll us a blunt and I'll go find Volchok."

Gabe Pratt wasn't known for his subtlety or his brains. His behavior was oddly suspicious and the girls' female intuition picked up almost immediately. There was something about the bathroom he was trying to keep Kaitlin away from.

"Let go of me!" she jerked away. "What's going on?"

"Nothing…"

She turned her eye towards her best friend.

"Jo?"

"I don't know. Gabe?"

"Nothing. It's cool. Just wait and I'll be right back."

"No," Kaitlin shook her head.

She turned and headed off in the other direction, bound and determined to see whatever her boyfriend's friend was trying to keep her away from. She opened every door until she reached the last bedroom. When she opened it, though dark inside, it was still more than obvious that something was going on in the bed. The smaller female figure was on top, jeans unbuttoned, top and braless. When she flicked on the light switch, they all got a better look.

The girl was Heather Foster and Kaitlin knew her well. They attended the same school and from day one Heather had made no attempt to disguise her disgust for the pretty private school transfer. They'd had their words in the beginning and a few times it had almost led to blows but that was before Kaitlin had begun dating Newport Union's hottest and most notorious bad boy. Every female at school knew better than to mess with the queen of Dawn Patrol but Kaitlin's new role had done little to cool Heather's hatred. As far as she was concerned it was just another rich bitch poser. Heather had backed off even as her jealousy and resentment continued to simmer. But the real shock was the half naked guy underneath her. Tanned complexion, muscular arms, calloused hands, and a set of abs and eyes to die for, Kaitlin Cooper knew that body all too well.

"Oh my God…" Jo mouthed as the caught pair looked like two deer in headlights.

Kaitlin's reaction was a little less subdued.

"What the fuck is this shit?" she angrily spat, still surprised but nevertheless fire in her eyes.

Heather looked just as stunned and it didn't take a genius to figure out, like everyone else, she was stoned out of her mind. She sat there with a dumb look on her face, not even making an attempt to cover her half exposed chest.

"Get up," Volchok loudly but coolly commanded, giving the girl a slight push when she didn't move fast enough.

"Kev…" she slurred.

"Get out of here," he barked.

Bra in hand, she pulled her shirt back on and slowly made her way out of the door, unsure of what awaited her. But Kaitlin didn't have her sights set on "the other woman". Marching over to the bed, she hauled off and slapped her boyfriend. Her hand, though tiny, made its point, leaving a huge red mark on the side of his face. He rubbed his jaw, tingling from pain. His trademark smirk quickly returned.

"You think this is funny?"

His chuckle let her know he did.

"Is that all you got?"

"I can't believe you were about to screw that ugly slut."

"At least she still puts out."

She went to hit him again but he grabbed her wrist.

"How long, huh? How long have you been sleeping with that bitch behind my back? How could you do this, Kevin?"

"To who?" he asked. "To you? To us? Get real, Kaitlin. Like you care anyway. No, you've been too busy with your new little friend, Harper. Let's see, between surfing lessons and lunch dates and science projects it looks like you've been too busy to notice what I've been up to."

She shook her head, trying not to cry.

"This isn't about Johnny and you know it. Nothing is going on between us. This is about you and me."

Volchok laughed.

"Now it's about you and me, huh? Whatever, Kaitlin. And now you want to be mad? You want to cry about it? Why don't you go crying to your little bitch boy, Harper?"

"I hate you."

He gave her a shrug and a nonchalant look.

"What did you expect?"

The tear she had been desperately trying to stop flowed down her cheek despite the effort.

"Yeah, I guess that's the problem. I shouldn't have expected much of anything."

"Come here," he motioned.

"How do you even say that with a straight face, Kevin?"

"What are you gonna do, leave?"

She looked around and suddenly it clicked. Same old parties. Same old drugs. Same old so called friends. Same old life. Same old Volchok.

"Yeah," she swallowed hard. "That's exactly what I'm gonna do."

She turned on her heels, brushing past a silent Gabe and Jo.

"Kaitlin!" Volchok yelled after her.

But it was too late. She was already long gone.


	14. Upgrade

Kaitlin stared half heartedly at her open workbook as she paid more attention to the Ipod on her bed. She had been in an even more sullen mood than usual since the disastrous party where she had caught her boyfriend cheating and had broken up with him. No one had been able to break through that angry, surly wall…not Julie or even Jo. It was as if Kaitlin had retreated further into her very own world of teenage angst, miserable and alone, so far from the bright eyed, happy little girl whose first love had been a hairless pony named China.

"Hey you."

Another body bounced onto the bed and Kaitlin just frowned.

"I'm doing homework," she muttered.

The other person just laughed.

"Yeah? Because it really looks like it right about now. Who knew you could download Evolutionary Biology. That's a new one."

"Shut up," Kaitlin's lips curled into a smirk.

"Wait, is that a smile I actually see?"

It was then replaced with a frown.

"Nope," she quickly turned all somber again.

Marissa Cooper frowned. She had only been home from college for two days and already she'd had enough of her little sister's moods. When she had asked her mother, the elder Cooper had simply shrugged her shoulders and rolled her eyes. What could she do? These days Kaitlin seemed to hate her and everything else in life. Still Marissa couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt. In the eyes of Newport Beach's elite, the Cooper's had once been social royalty with Marissa as the beautiful, crowned fairy princess. She and Kaitlin had never been exactly close growing up and the relationship became further distant when the younger girl had spent time away at boarding school. By the time Kaitlin was a teenager the celebrity of Marissa Cooper was nothing short of O.C. legend. No matter what, Kaitlin would always be compared to that and Marissa knew it wasn't fair. Then with her parents splitting up and the family losing all their money, she knew it was a bitter adjustment for her sibling. Kaitlin had coped by acting out. Sure they had never before been best friends but Marissa couldn't help but want to reach out. She loved her little sis.

"Okay," the older girl grabbed and removed the book and Ipod. "Talk to me."

"Bite me," Kaitlin huffed.

"If that'll make you talk to me."

"Dude, seriously. Look, I know we're sisters by blood and all but you really don't have to do this, okay? You're only home for what, like two more days? Why would you want to spend that precious time wasted with boring old me? You could visit our delinquent, dysfunctional parents in the living room or you could always visit Gus. He loves the company and there's always plenty of pigeon pie to share."

"Kait…"

"Or better yet you could go over to the Cohen's and make out with your boyfriend."

Marissa shrugged.

"As tempting as it sounds, I make out with Ryan all the time. Anyway, this is my time with you and obviously something is going on. I think we should have one of our big sister, little sister talks…just like we used to."

Kaitlin made a face.

"When did we use to?"

Marissa bit her lip.

"Okay like never but it's not too late to start. Come on, Kaitlin. I'm trying to be nice here. What's going on?"

Kaitlin sighed.

"Fine. You really want to know?"

"I've only been asking since I've been here."

"Okay, I'll tell you. Life sucks. We live in a trailer park and we're poor for starters. I hate school. I'm barely passing in school. My whole crew is lame and boring. I met a new guy who I guess was cool but my psycho ex beat him up and the guy blamed me and never wanted to talk to me again but as cliché would have it, we're now lab partners, talk about awkward. Oh yeah and I caught my so called boyfriend about to screw the school slut at a stupid party and I dumped his sorry ass. How's that for a bonding moment, big sis?"

"Okay…um, wow."

"Exactly."

"Can I give you advice?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"No. Now the whole poor living in a trailer park thing…yeah, it sucks but it's not the end of the world. And Mom is trying. You might not want to hear that and I can't believe I'm defending her but despite everything, she is a good mom and she loves us and she's doing the best she can. So is Dad. And one day we'll have a real home again and they'll get back together and we can be a real family like we used to."

"Whatever."

"And your crew? Dawn Patrol is trouble, Kait. Those kids just bring you down, Volchok included. He's no good. The guy is a first class jerk and he treats you like crap and he's like the biggest troublemaker ever. You're so much better off."

"Nice coming from the queen of bad boy lovers. Ryan wasn't exactly an angel when you met him."

"Whoa, don't even compare Ryan to Volchok, he is nothing like him. Ryan may have been rough around the edges with the whole bad boy thing going on but from the get go he was always a decent guy. He never tried to bring me down and he always respected and cared about me. Can you say the same about you and Volchok?"

"Rub it in, why don't you?"

"Hey, I'm not. I'm just looking out for you. I'm sorry you're hurting right now but I'm glad you got rid of that loser. One day I hope you do find a guy as good as Ryan. You deserve it."

"This town is just full of Prince Charmings," Kaitlin mumbled sarcastically.

"And one day you'll find yours."

Kaitlin sighed, going back to her Ipod. Marissa knew she had done all she could so she got up to leave.

"Thanks."

The voice was so soft and muffled, she barely heard it but it still made her smile.

"You're welcome, Kait. I love you."

Walking out to the living room, Julie was on the couch eating Funions and watching Nascar.

"Want some, baby?"

"No thanks," Marissa chuckled. "Is Dad coming over?"

"Maybe later," she said as she sat the bag down. "I see you were in your sister's room."

"Yeah."

"You came out in one piece. That's a miracle. Lately she tears my head off every time I come through the door."

"It's a phase. She'll get over it."

"I hope so."

"I outgrew my terror years," Marissa grinned.

"Thank God," Julie returned the smile.

"She's just in a weird place but Kaitlin is a good kid. We just can't give up on her. She's hurting right now because she broke up with Volchok."

"She broke up with Volchok?" Julie practically squealed with delight, happily kicking her bare feet in the air.

"Yeah. God, Mom, lower your voice. I don't want her to know I told you. Anyway, she broke up with him and she knows that's the right thing to do but she's still bummed about it and in a way I get that. I mean, Luke totally dogged me out at the end of our relationship and I knew he wasn't the right guy for me yet the break up still hurt. She just needs time."

"Or a better guy," Julie commented as there was a knock at the door. "Go away, Gus! We're not home and besides we hate you!"

On the other side of the door, a young man frowned.

"Um, it's not Gus…"

"I'll get it," Marissa hopped up, shrugging.

She opened the door to see a cute, skinny guy with moppy brown hair carrying a book bag.

"Uh, is this the Cooper residence?"

"Yeah."

"I'm Johnny Harper, Kaitlin's lab partner. I came over to study."

Marissa and Julie exchanged glances. The guy was cute and he seemed quiet and soft spoken, even nice perhaps. It was a definite upgrade from the cocky, rude, chain smoking, tattooed Kevin Volchok.

"Come in," Julie offered, wiping her hands before shaking Johnny's. "Hi. I'm Julie Cooper, Kaitlin's mom and this is my other daughter, Marissa. It's nice to meet you."

"You too."

"Can we get you anything? A snack? Something to drink?"

"No thanks, I'm good."

"Well, Kaitlin is in her room down the hall. Just knock, you know how testy she can be."

He nodded and headed towards the back of the trailer, his face turning red as Julie and Marissa gushed in not so hushed whispers about how cute he was. He made it to Kaitlin's door and knocked.

"Go away, I died," she called out.

Johnny smirked.

"Is that a good thing or bad thing for my grade?"

Kaitlin jumped. She had almost forgotten he was coming over. Hopping up, she tried to clear a path and run her fingers through her hair before opening the door.

"You're late."

"I got lost," he shrugged. "Your directions suck."

"Whatever. Are you ready to get started?"

"I guess. I mean, as long as I don't have to worry about you know who jumping out of a corner trying to kick my ass."

"We broke up," Kaitlin flatly announced.

"What?"

"I broke up with him. He cheated. I caught him. I dumped him. End of story. Now let's move on to the oh so interesting world of Evolutionary Biology."

Johnny swallowed hard. Her news had taken him off guard.

"Sorry," he muttered.

"Don't be. I'm not."

It was awkward as they sat on her bed and began work. Kaitlin avoided as much eye contact as possible and Johnny found it hard to keep from staring at her. One thing did catch Kaitlin's eye as she looked up at her half open door. Grinning as they passed by, her mother and sister both gave the thumbs up sign. Burying her face back in her workbook, Kaitlin suppressed a smile. As much as they got on her nerves, sometimes having a mother and big sister that cared wasn't so bad after all.


	15. A Common Bond

"So Kaitlin, can I get you anything else?"

"No thanks, Mrs. Harper," Kaitlin wiped her mouth with a napkin. "I'm full. Dinner was great. Thank you."

"You're welcome and please, call me Gwen. I'm just grateful for the company. With work there isn't always a lot of time for big home cooked meals. It's nice to be able to do that every once in a while. I'm just glad you were here. It's nice to meet some of Johnny's new friends."

As if on cue, Johnny emerged from the bathroom, hands shoved in his pockets.

"You ready to get started?" he asked.

Kaitlin shrugged.

"I guess so. I figured we could start working on the ecosystems chart, if you want."

"Sounds good."

Gwen smiled.

"Well, I'll let you two get back to homework. I'll be in the back, just yell if you need me."

It had been weeks since the fateful day Johnny Harper and Kaitlin Cooper had been paired together as partners in Science class. It was an unlikely partnership seemingly headed for impending doom due to the circumstances of their already tumultuous relationship but it had turned out to be the exact opposite. Their grades were good and they had worked well together. The after school meetings had taken place regularly at their respective homes. It had been awkward at first but the tension had eventually given way. The topic of Kevin Volchok, Dawn Patrol, surfing, and the fights that had happened because of all of the above, were simply off limits.

The unspoken words of drama made more time for discussion of the subject at hand. Evolutionary Biology hadn't turned out to be so bad. Some of the work was interesting and even if it wasn't, it was something they could gripe about together. As more time passed, more typical elements of conversation came about. There were spatterings of dialogue about school and music and popular TV shows but a complete comfort zone was impossible and when either felt they were coming close to normal friendship, the awkwardness would instantly return and someone would clam up.

For Johnny, it was still weird being around her. From the first day he had met her on the beach, he had thought she was a pretty girl. Missing his friends and especially his girlfriend, Casey, back home in Maryland had left him lonely and vulnerable and the prospect of hanging out with cool, new kids in his new town had seemed like a logical, if not good idea at the time. But it hadn't taken Johnny long to figure out that the only person in Newport Beach that had his back was Chili. Kaitlin on the other hand, had been impossible to figure out.

She had seemed nice at first and even when he had been suddenly introduced to her asshole of a boyfriend, he couldn't help but still feel sympathy for her. As he had watched her parade up and down the halls of Union as the undisputed queen of Dawn Patrol being dragged on the arms of Volchok like some surfing trophy, he had been able to see past the smile. In fact, he hadn't seen her smile or at least not a real one. She was always smirking but one look in her eyes and there was something deeper there. It was the only thing that intrigued him, the only thing that kept him talking to her but apparently new guys befriending Kaitlin Cooper was a major health hazard in the O.C.

He'd had enough finally the night they had jumped him on the beach and severely injured Chili. That was the night that had changed everything. It was the night he decided to put the brakes on a lifelong dream, it was the night he decided never to talk to _her _again, it was the night he wished he could be safely back in Ocean City with his own crew where everything felt happy and normal. Then a partnership had been forced upon them and because of it, he had seen her in a new light. It was nice not having to look over his shoulder for a Dawn Patrol attack every five seconds. It was also nice to have a regular conversation for once. Sometimes she was even funny.

Still he was conflicted inside. Though he would never admit it, he was starting to look forward to their time together. He liked talking to her, he liked being around her. And she was still a very pretty girl. In ordinary circumstances the situation might have paved the way for something to grow between the two teenagers but something about her, some of the very mysterious qualities that drew him to her were the ones that made him hold back.

"We're gonna have to do a separate graph for the terrestrial biodomes," Kaitlin reminded him.

"Yeah, I know," he said, his hand expertly moving the marker in a straight line as she kept the ruler a steady guideline.

Their hands brushed together a few times but neither acknowledged it or dared to make eye contact. Instead they worked on, going over the different materials needed to finish the project. They worked together for over an hour focusing completely on science. Kaitlin had no choice. The second she allowed her mind to concentrate on anything else, she lost control of all thought.

She had been Kevin Volchok's trophy just as much as he had been hers. She had liked him a lot at first but the rebellious lifestyle a part of her desperately craved had grown old after a while. There were the few times when they were alone and Kevin was himself with her, showing a side others rarely saw. He was sweet and thoughtful, vulnerable and intelligent. It was the little things…the way he held her like he meant it, the way they talked and he genuinely seemed interested in her hopes, dreams, fears and disappointments. But those moments were far and few between. Most of the time he was living up to his bad boy image and Kaitlin had been lost in the shuffle of surfing, drugs, booze and wild teenage sex.

The first time she saw Johnny, he was the cute, new guy, something to distract her from her growing boredom. So maybe she had used him to make Kevin jealous but her intentions hadn't been malicious. She had never meant for he or Chili to get hurt and she had never meant for Johnny to be forced to give up something that he loved so much. She too had a reputation as a tough bad girl and in a way she was but there was more to her than that. She had feelings and emotions as well. Away at fancy boarding school, she had felt like she was missing out on life back in California. The destruction of her family had been devastating though it had been Marissa who had chosen to wear her heart on her sleeve and act out. Losing their money and her father's illegal activities had been humiliating and she had been terrified to switch schools.

The only way to cope was to develop a thick skin, rebel. When you turned off your feelings and pretended not to care, only then it stopped hurting so much. Sometimes she felt like she was screaming, crying out, only no one could hear. Or maybe they just weren't listening. There was something about Johnny Harper. For starters, he was a nice guy. In his eyes she saw sincerity and truth as well as a familiar pain. But she had messed up and she didn't know how to fix it. Besides, despite mutual attraction, it never quite worked for guys like him and girls like her.

"I'll get it," Johnny yelled when the doorbell rang, as he turned to his guest. "Want a soda or something?"

"Whatever," she shrugged.

He opened the door and even though Kaitlin could not see his face, his body language completely changed. There was a man on the other side, handsome but gruff. The two stared each down until the stranger finally spoke.

"Is your mom home?"

Johnny just shook his head in disgust. He didn't bother to answer the man. Instead, he grabbed two Cokes from the refrigerator and walked back to the living room, gathering up some of their belongings.

"What's wrong?'" Kaitlin narrowed her eyes.

Gwen emerged from the back as her son angrily brushed past her.

"Come on. We can finish this in my room."

He waited for her to join him and when he did, he slammed the door, pacing the length of the carpet, visibly upset and distracted.

"You okay?" Kaitlin asked after a while. "Who was that guy?"

"Jack," he answered flatly.

Kaitlin raised her eyebrows.

"You didn't seem too happy to see this Jack. I guess every neighborhood has their own Gus, unfortunately."

Johnny shook his head.

"It's not like that. He…he's my dad."

"Oh," she managed. "I didn't know he moved out here with you and Gwen."

"He didn't. He was already here. He took off on us when I was eight."

"Sorry."

"Don't be. The guy was an ass. He used to beat the shit out of my mom. I hate him."

Johnny took a seat on his bed just inches from where Kaitlin was sitting. He leaned over, his eyes narrowing and darkening.

"Why is he here?" she asked softly after a few minutes.

Johnny laughed in spite of himself.

"You tell me. About a year ago he supposedly changed his ways and got back in contact with Mom. I guess she believed him. She basically forgave his bullshit but I didn't. Now they're friends and he hangs out here and tries to act like nothing ever happened and I don't want any part of it. Anyway, it sucks. I guess we should get back to work…"

"I know how you feel."

Johnny rolled his eyes.

"No, you don't, trust me. I hate when people say that. You tell them a story and they feel bad and it's like a reaction, the first thing to come out of their mouth. 'I know how you feel'. Well, you don't. And don't bother to even tell me it's gonna be alright."

"I won't because I don't know. My dad never laid a hand on any of us but he screwed a lot of people out of a lot of money. He went to jail on embezzlement charges for a few years and now he's out. We had these neighbors, the Cohen's and the dad is a lawyer. He helped my dad out and now my dad has some job on a boat and supposedly he's making good money, if he doesn't screw it up like he screws everything else up. Anyway, it's because of him my parents got divorced and we lost all our money and our house. That's how come I had to transfer to Newport Union from private school. My mom has a good job now, thanks again to the Cohen's but it's hard. She has to pay for my sister's college and stuff. Basically my dad made a bunch of mistakes and he was selfish and we got hurt because of it. In a way he abandoned us too. Mom and Marissa forgave him but I can't. I can't trust him either and it sucks so it's not exactly the same thing but yeah, I kind of understand how you feel."

She spoke poignantly for the first time without pretense or hidden agenda. It was probably the realest conversation she'd had with anyone in a long time.

"That sucks," Johnny said.

"Yeah," she glanced at the clock. "Anyway, it's getting late. I have to get back to the madness, you know the trailer park gets pretty rowdy after a certain hour."

He half smiled at her half assed attempt at a joke.

"It's cool. We can finish up tomorrow."

"Yeah, I'll see you in school."

She gathered her things and started to leave but he stopped her.

"Hey Kaitlin, wait up. I, I can walk you."

"You don't have to," she said.

"I know…but I want to."

Their eyes briefly met before each quickly looked away. They had shared a moment, a moment that had made them see they were more alike than they had previously thought, a moment that brought them together. It was a moment that would change everything.


	16. Love Hurts

Kaitlin stuffed her hands in her pockets as she made her way to the entrance of the trailer park. She had spent yet another evening studying with Johnny Harper but it had turned into more of pigging out on popcorn and soda and watching movies. It was still light outside so she had walked home alone even though he didn't like her to. Just as dusk set in, she looked over and noticed her trailer was dark and seemingly empty. Kaitlin rolled her eyes. Her mother was either working late with Kirsten Cohen or on a "date" with her father, Jimmy and Kaitlin knew the latter seemed more feasible. Fishing for her house keys, she climbed the three broken steps that led to her front door.

"Hey."

The unexpected company and voice in the darkness made her jump and scream out loud.

"Holy shit, you scared me."

"Sorry. Didn't mean to."

He blew out a puff of smoke from his mouth before snuffing out his cigarette on the Cooper's cheap patio furniture.

"What are you doing here?"

Kevin Volchok stood.

"I haven't seen you around in a while."

"Maybe you would if you ever bothered to come to school."

"You look good."

"I'm gonna ask you again, why are you here?"

"We need to talk."

She unlocked the door and attempted to close it.

"Go talk to your little whore, Heather. We're done."

He blocked the door with his foot.

"Come on, Kaitlin."

He was too strong for her to fight and after seconds she gave up. He entered the trailer behind her. Folding her arms, she gave him a defiant look as he just smiled at her. He came closer and put his arms around her, leaning in for a kiss.

"No," she moved away. "God, Kevin. Why don't you get it? I don't want to be with you anymore. It's over. Just leave."

He nodded, smirking.

"So I guess you're getting it somewhere else now, huh?"

"That's so stupid besides you're the one that cheated."

"I know you've been hanging out with him."

"Who?"

"That Harper kid."

"So what? He's my lab partner."

"Since when do lab partners walk each other home?"

"You following me now?"

"I told that kid about messing with my girl…"

"And I'm not your girl anymore, besides, we're friends."

"Friends, huh? You fucking him?"

Kaitlin shook her head, disgusted.

"Why don't you just get out of here? I don't want to fight with you."

"I don't want to fight with you either but we need to talk."

"About what? I don't want to talk to you. I'm done talking to you. Nothing ever gets solved anyway."

"What is it about that guy?"

"He's a nice guy, Kevin, that's it. What is your hard on for him anyway?"

"He moved here and like the first week tries to steal my chick and my spot on Pac West."

"The spot for Pac West is a competition and he has just as much right to be there as you do. And our relationship was way messed up before Johnny even came along and you know that. You should quit blaming him for all your problems and try to take some kind of responsibility for once."

Volchok's jaw tightened. He hated it when she was difficult like that.

"You are fucking him, aren't you?"

"That's none of your business."

Anger flashed in his blue eyes. He had cheated with Heather. There had also been a number of other girls but none of them had mattered. It was just meaningless sex. Kaitlin was his girl, his property. She belonged to him and he was damned if he was just going to let her walk away. If he wanted to get his rocks off with random sluts begging to give it up to him, that was his prerogative. But Kaitlin was a different story. Broken up or not, he wouldn't stand for anyone else putting their hands on her.

"What did you say to me?'

She could tell he was losing his temper.

"You should really leave. My mom will be home soon anyway. Can we just deal with this later?"

"I want to hear you say it," he sneered.

"Say what?"

"Tell me. Tell me everything. Tell me you fucked him."

"Okay, you are seriously psychotic. Kevin…"

He reached out and grabbed her by the arm. She tried to get away but he only tightened his grip.

"You are mine, you belong to me!"

"Get off!" Kaitlin pushed him into the refrigerator. "You don't own me, you never did. We are not together and shit like this is the main reason why. Johnny Harper has nothing to do with it. I hang out with him because of school and yeah, I guess you could say we are friends but that's it. I am not having sex with him, not that it's any of your business if I was. And the only reason I'm telling you that is because you're crazy and I don't want you and your stupid thug friends beating up the kid for no reason."

"I don't want you hanging out with him anymore."

"I don't really care what you want. You don't tell me what to do."

"Kaitlin…"

"I'm done. You can stay here if you want but I'm going to bed."

He grabbed her arm again as she tried to walk away.

"You're not going anywhere."

"Stop it! Dammitt, Kevin, that hurts."

"I'm tired of this. This is stupid. I want to get back together, Kaitlin. I mean it. That shit about Harper and Heather…let's just put it behind us."

"No! Do you even know what that word means? Has anybody ever said it to you? Well, I'm saying it now. I'm not one of those pathetic wannabe Dawn Patrol groupies and I am not one of the guys worshiping you and doing anything to be your friend. So you've been the cool guy your whole life, you've been the sexy bad boy and you've been the best surfer in Newport. I don't care about that anymore. Everyone is always in your face telling you how great you are because they're scared of you but I'm not doing it anymore. I don't want to be your girlfriend anymore. I don't want to talk to you right now. I want you to go home and leave me alone. So about us getting back together? No! This might be the first time you've ever heard that but the answer is no!"

It was too much for Volchok. In a fit of rage, he drew back his right fist and let it land hard against the side of Kaitlin's head. It was a blow so forceful that it sent her tiny frame airborne, landing on the floor after she rolled off the couch.

"See what you made me do?" he clenched his fists.

"Kevin!" she cried out, frightened.

"No! Just shut up!"

He charged at her like he might hit her again as she cowered in the corner.

"Stop it!" she begged. "You're scaring me."

"You did this, Kaitlin. I don't get you anymore. You changed. Things were cool and you had to go and mess them up. I, I just want everything to be okay again, like it used to be. Why can't you just see that? I want to be with you. Dammitt, I love you, Kaitlin."

Tears fell down her face but she looked him right in the eye.

"I can't be with you, Kevin. Not like this."

Her rejection sent him into another tailspin as he used his hand to push her head again in the same spot. She whimpered and he backed off, the adrenaline and testosterone releasing enough for him to see what he had just done.

"You okay?" he asked, out of breath. "I mean, damn, Kaitlin. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it."

"Leave me alone."

"Look…"

"Leave me alone!" she yelled louder. "Just get out of here! I hate you!"

He stood and surveyed the situation for a few seconds before leaving without another word. Kaitlin stood and locked the door before running to her room. She threw herself on the bed and screamed into her pillow. She screamed over and over again, louder and louder until she barely had a voice.

"Kaitlin! Kaitlin, sweetie, what's going on in there?" came a knock after about 20 minutes. "It's Mom."

"Go away!"

"Are you okay? Open the door."

"Leave me alone! I hate you! I hate all of you!"

She punched the headboard and cried into her pillow. She hated Volchok and her mother and everyone at that point but most of all, Kaitlin Cooper hated herself more than ever.


End file.
